education
DU Chhatra League issues 10-point directive to rein in activists
The Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling party's student front, has issued a set of ten instructions to leaders and activists of DU Unit, in an apparent attempt to instill discipline in the ranks following a series of untoward incidents.
The instructions include not to involve themselves in any group activities outside of BCL; not to engage in motorbike showdowns; not to behave in loud, rowdy manner; to take part in all cultural activities in the campus; to ensure proper environment for education and not to get involved in activities that hamper the environment of education in the halls; to take part in the development activities in the halls; not to use banners and festoons to keep the surroundings clean; maintain good relations with progressive and other organizations including other student organizations, cultural organizations and bus committees; to be cooperative with the media workers, to help university administration take legal actions against misdeeds and crimes including drugs, terrorism, extortion etc., and not to involve in any work that violates the rules of organization.
The package of instructions came with an official notification signed by the president of Dhaka University Chhatra League Mazharul Kabir Shoyon, and general secretary Tanbir Hasan Saiakat.
BCL was forced to expel many leaders and activists in light of the recent incidents.
Writ challenges legality of DU notice to keep female students' faces visible during exams
A writ petition has been filed at the High Court challenging the legality of a notice issued earlier to keep all female students' ears and faces visible during examinations and presentations at Dhaka University's (DU) Bangla Department.
Lawyer Faizullah Foyez, representing three students of the university, submitted the writ petition on Sunday.
Education secretary, VC of Dhaka University, the registrar and chairperson of the Bangla Department of DU have been made respondents in the writ.
The writ petition may be heard by the High Court bench comprising Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel this week, said lawyer Faizullah.
Besides, a request has been made to issue a rule questioning the validity of the notice.
Earlier on December 11, the Bangla Department of DU issued a notice, signed by the chair, instructing female students to keep their faces and ears visible during all examinations, including viva and presentations.
The notice also warned that if anyone violated the instruction, action would be taken against them as per the university regulation.
VC’s leaked audio clips: IU postpones 3 departments’ recruitment process
The authorities of Islamic University in Kushtia have postponed the recruitment process of its three departments following the leak of three audio clips purportedly containing a conversation between the university’s Vice-Chancellor and a job seeker on Facebook.
The decision was made at an emergency meeting of the university administration.
A press release, signed by IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan, was issued in this regard on Sunday morning.
The recruitment tests for the medical officer was scheduled to be held on February 20, for physical education and sports science department on February 22 and for Mass Communication and Journalism Department on February 22. All have been postponed two days after three audio conversations between VC Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam and the job seeker went viral on social media.
IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan told UNB that they postponed the recruitment tests of the departments due to unavoidable reasons.
The fresh date and time of these recruitment tests would be informed later, he added.
Earlier, a total of five audio clips, three between Oliur, a jobseeker at the Mass Communication and Journalism Department and the VC and two others with an official of a ministry went viral on Facebook.
In the audio clip, the VC purportedly asked Oliur to collect two other candidates to fulfill the requirement for the department’s recruitment board.
Read more: Ex-BCL leaders lock IU VC office demanding resignation
According to the audio clips, the VC told Oliur that he, Oliur, failed to write his answer to the question of the recruitment test held on October 25, 2022. He also told him that he was not good at his IQ.
The VC advised him over the phone regarding the recruitment test. He assured Oliur that he did not accept the recruitment policy of the University Grants Commission regarding the requirement process of recruiting teachers at Journalism department.
IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan filed a general diary with the Islamic University police station in this regard on Friday night.
Many senior progressive alliance teachers said that he had no right to share any recruitment test information with anyone as vice-chancellor of the university.
The government and ministry concerned should look into the matter. If there was any involvement of the vice-chancellor with the audio clip he should be brought under the law, they added.
When contacted, IU vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam acknowledged that he talked to Oliur who was a part-time teacher in the mass communication department. He, however, denied the allegation brought against him.
'Special exam' at JU: Opportunity turns to burden for students
Having failed a third year course in his pursuit of a bachelor's degree in economics at Jahangirnagar University, Salim (not his real name) had applied to sit for a special examination in the third-year course he failed even as he prepared for his fourth-year final exams. Since it was one of the core courses counting towards his degree, he cannot afford to not pass it somehow.
However he will not be able to appear in the 4th -year final examination along with his batchmates, the students of his academic year, if he sits chooses to for the examination as per the conventional rules.
Salim had applied to the Vice-Chancellor in January 2020 for a special exam to complete his graduation with the students of his academic year.
The Vice-Chancellor's office told him to contact the office of the Examination Controller. told him that the approval file had not arrived from the Vice Chancellor's office.He was repeatedly given several working days to search by deputy controller. He said that he should not come to the examination controller's office without paying the examination fee in the bank.
While he was there, Salim inquired about the approval of the examination from the Vice-Chancellor's office.
Selim isn’t the first person to face this kind of harassment from the exam controller's office. Allegedly, Nazrul Islam (initially, charge of special examination) puts all the students who come to him in their hour of need. Even more damning are allegations that he would misplace the students' examination approval files, that are sent by the supervisors, and tells the student that "There is no special examination". Neither he applied nor his file was sent from the Vice-Chancellor's office to his office.
A student who lost the approval paper said, I applied for the special examination when the university office opened after Corona. A few days later, I found out that he (Nazrul Islam) lost my paper and instructed me to apply again.
Another case found that a student applied in 2019 but only managed to sit for the special exam he needed, finally in 2022.
According to the university rules, a fee of Tk15,000 has to be paid for each course to sit for the special examination. If the students do not pass for any reason, they apply for the special examination in order to complete their academic life on time., but due to the negligence of Nazrul Islam of the examination controller office, no student is able to participate in the examination as soon as possible.
When asked about how long the turnaround for a special exam should be, Controller of Examinations (Acting) Professor Md. Salauddin said 'three working days' should be enough for the approval letter from the vice-chancellor's office authorising the special exam. After that it is only a matter of arranging it. There was also a suggestion that each department should conduct its own special exam every year.
If any student's education suffers just for the negligence of some entrenched officials, this all will be held against him according to the employment rules of the university
JU's 6th convocation: All prior instructions must be followed
The sixth convocation of Jahangirnagar University (JU) is going to be held next Saturday (February 25). On this occasion, several instructions must be followed.
These instructions were highlighted in a circular signed by Rahima Kaniz, member-secretary of the university's registrar and member-secretary of the sixth convocation management committee.
According to the notification, the registered graduates must bring the print copy of the registration card with them.
Four counters will be opened by the office of the Controller of Examinations from 20th February to 23rd February daily from 10 am to 4 pm and on February 24 from 10 am to 6 pm. By submitting the temporary certificate at the designated counter, the reverse side of the registration card must be sealed and signed by the officer in charge.
Graduates who have not taken the provisional certificate should go to the gown counter after collecting the clearance with seal and signature from the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Controller of Examinations as 'Not Taken Provisional Certificate'.
Every graduate should watch out for errors while taking the original certificate. If any mistake is found then the original certificate should be returned to the counter after identifying it and the revised certificate should be collected from the office of the Controller of Examinations within the next 15 working days. On the day of the convocation ceremony, wear the convocation gown and sit at the designated place in the pandal by 1 p.m.
There will be no seating in the convocation pandal for persons other than the convocation recipients and invited guests. If the degree recipient is a member of the Senate or Syndicate or Board of Education or two or more authorities of this University, he shall be given the sass of the highest authority in addition to the gown.
A degree recipient who fails to return the convocation gown will not be issued with the original certificate. Also, if someone loses the convocation gown, he/she will have to pay 3000 rupees as fixed by the university for the gown.
The invitation must be brought to the convocation. Invitation letter is not transferable in any way. Mobile phones, cameras, umbrellas, keys, briefcases, handbags, vanity bags, pens, water bottles and any other electronic devices are not allowed. It is recommended to follow hygiene rules including wearing a mask.
Graduates must enter the pandal between 1 pm and 2 pm on the day of convocation. For security reasons, the pandal cannot be entered after 2:30. No graduate will be allowed to enter the convocation pandal without an invitation letter issued by the university.
Also, detailed information on all convocation related instructions can be found at https://convocation.juniv.edu.
Ex-BCL leaders lock IU VC office demanding resignation
A group of former leaders and activists of the Islamic University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the ruling Awami League, locked the collapsible gate of the university vice-chancellor’s office on Saturday, demanding his resignation.
Around thirty former BCL leaders and activists went to the administration building and locked the collapsible gate of IU vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam's office to press home their demand at around 10:00am.
Campus sources said that they staged a demonstration on the campus as three audio conversations between the university vice-chancellor and a jobseeker of the university’s mass communication and journalism department went viral on social media Facebook.
They would continue their demonstration on the campus until their demand for the resignation of the vice-chancellor was met.
The vice-chancellor had earned a huge amount of money illegally by recruiting teachers at the university, Rasel Joarder, former organising secretary of IU BCL unit said.
The government and ministry concerned should look into the matter, he added.
Read: Several injured in BCL attack on Chhatra Odhikar
The Islamic University Teachers’ Association and progressive teachers’ alliance Shapla Forum have issued written statements to inform them of the position of the vice-chancellor immediately, regarding the leaked audio.
IU VC Abdus Salam acknowledged that he talked to Oliur, who was already a part-time teacher in the mass communication department, and is applying for a permanent role.. He, however, denied the allegation brought against him.
A total of five audio conversations, three with a job seeker and two others with ministry officials, went viral on social media Facebook on Thursday and Friday.
Three audio clips of conversations between vice-chancellor Shaikh Abdus Salam and jobseeker Oliur Rahman were leaked and posted on Facebook where the VC asked Oliur to collect two other job seekers to fulfill the requirement for the department’s recruitment test to be valid. At the moment, Oliur is the only applicant, which renders the process moot. At least three aspirants must appear for the recruitment test for the process to move forward.
The vice-chancellor also told Oliur that Oliur failed to write his answer to the question of a previous recruitment test held on October 25, 2022.
The vice-chancellor gave him some advice for the test.
IU acting registrar HM Ali Hasan, however, filed a general diary with Islamic University police station in this connection on Friday night.
Islamic University: Victim of BCL torture returns to campus
The female student of finance and banking department of Islamic University in Kushtia, who was allegedly tortured by leaders and activists of the university's Bangladesh Chhatra League unit, student wing of the ruling Awami League, returned to the university under tight security as per the High Court's directive on Saturday.
She returned to the campus along with her parents five days after she had been tortured and intimidated by IU BCL unit vice-president Shanjida Chowdhury Ontora and her cohorts at the Sheikh Hasina Hall on February 12.
A police van carrying the student arrived on the campus at around 12:30pm. She was taken directly to the Deshratna Sheikh Hasina Hall to testify in front of the enquiry committee appointed by the university.
She was later interviewed by the probe committee formed by the hall authorities and the university administration respectively from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Islamic University police station officer-in-charge Annur Jayed Biplob told UNB that additional police personnel were deployed on the campus for the security of the student.
She left the campus after her meeting with the investigation committees, the OC added.
Earlier, IU BCL unit vice-president and residential student Shanjida Chowdhury Ontora called the girl to her room on February 9.
A group of BCL activists led by Ontora and her cohort Tabassum of the finance and banking department went to the room of the victim and misbehaved with her as the victim did not meet with Ontora because of her illness on Saturday night.
Read: Two city college teachers quit under BCL pressure
Later, Ontora along with her cohorts assaulted and tortured her both physically and mentally. Ontora, at one stage, forced the victim to get undressed and videoed the ‘ragging’ incident on her mobile phone.
Ontora threatened that she would make the video viral on social media if the victim disclosed the matter to anyone, the complaint also said. All in all, her ordeal is said to have lasted over 4 hours.
The victim lodged a written complaint with the university administration, including the university proctor, student adviser and the hall provost, demanding punishment for those involved in the incident on February 14.
A writ petition was also filed by Gazi Mohammad Mohsin, an alumnus of the university and a lawyer, with the HC on Thursday.
The HC ordered the accused to leave the hall and the university to look into the matter seriously, and submit a report in this regard within the next 10 days.
Alongside the committee appointed by the university, the HC also asked the deputy commissioner of the district to form a separate committee to further enquire into the incident, and submit a report in the next seven days.
Several injured in BCL attack on Chhatra Odhikar
Several people were injured on Friday after BCL men allegedly attacked members of rival Chhatra Odhikar Parishad on Dhaka University campus.
The incident took place near TSC as Chhatra Odhikar Parishad activists were preparing to observe the organisation's 6th founding anniversary.
According to Chhatra Odhikar Parishad leaders, they were trying to enter TSC to observe their programme while some BCL men blocked them and carried out the attack.
The attack left several Odhikar activists injured, they said.
The injured have been taken to Dhaka Medical college hospital for treatment, Odhikar said.
Moreover, Dhaka Post campus correspondent Amjad Hossen was also allegedly harassed by a BCL leader, Farid Jaman, joint secretary of Sergeant Johrul Hoque hall Chhatra League unit.
Read more: Two city college teachers quit under BCL pressure
"Farid Jaman and some of his followers came to me and tried to snatch my mobile and check it while I was taking video of the clash. With the help of the proctorial team and members of law enforcement, I managed to flee”, said Amjad.
Farid tried to snatch my mobile despite knowing my identity as a reporter, Amjad added.
However, Dhaka University Chhatra League General Secretary Tanbir Hasan Saikat denied both allegations and said, "Chhatra League has no connection with this attack. As much as I heard, the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad carried out attack on some general students of the university."
Prof. AKM Golam Rabbani, proctor of Dhaka University, said, "I have heard about an attack. However, Chhatra Odhikar parishad didn’t take any permission from University authority. They should not create any unrest on the campus."
Two city college teachers quit under BCL pressure
Two teachers of Government City College, Chattogram have resigned from their respective posts in the face of movement by local unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League that accused them of failure to print images of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the college’s academic calendar.
The two are the college Teachers’ Council secretary Azam Mohammad Anowar Sadat and Teachers’ Club Secretary Mohammad Golam Mohiuddin.
They submitted the resignation papers to college Principal Dr Sudipa Dutta from their posts on Thursday afternoon.
The college unit BCL men have been agitating to press home their four-point demand including resignation of the teachers since the calendar was printed with no images of Bangabandhu and the premier.
The demands included relieving the duo teachers from the posts of Teachers’ Club and Teachers’ Council, taking administrative measures against printing committee Convener Md Alamgir and Member Secretary Arif Moin Uddin Khan, republishing the calendar by cancelling earlier one and excluding teachers having anti-liberation spirit, from the sub-committee of any programme in future.
Contacted, principal Dr Sudipa acknowledged that the teachers stepped down from the posts in the face of demand by the BCL.
The teachers, however, declined to make comments on this issue.
The college unit BCL Convener Ashis Sarkar Nayon said they have been protesting since they noticed that images of Bangabandhu and the PM were missing from the calendar.
“Finally the teachers resigned from their posts due to our movement,” he added.
Five-day classes a week in new curriculum: Dipu Moni
According to the new curriculum approved by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, five days of classes will be held in a week in school and colleges, Education minister Dipu Moni has said.
Earlier, the government took a decision for 5-day class routine a week to save electricity, but now it will be held according to the new curriculum, the minister told journalists at Chandpur Circuit house on Thursday.
The teachers as well as the students will get a break for two days because they also need rest. The new curriculum was approved keeping this in mind," she added.
The education minister also said that all the teachers in the technical department were appointed in the last 4 years.
Before that, no teacher was appointed for almost 10 years, she added.
"We have no teacher crisis at this moment. The vacant posts are being filled as we are recruiting teachers on a regular basis", Dipu said.
Among others, Deputy Commissioner Kamrul Hasan, Superintendent of Police Md. Milan Mahmud, District Awami League Organizing Secretary Tofazzal Hossain Sdu Patwari were also present.