The Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has demanded withdrawal of punitive measures against 10 teachers, taken by the university’s last two syndicate meetings held on 22 June and 28 July.
The demand informed on Thursday thorough a notification signed by the president of the association Prof. Dr. Md. Nizamul Hoque Buiyan and the general secretary Prof. Dr. Zeenat Huda.
Alongside, the association urged to restoring the congenial environment of education through building a safe, orderly and merit-based campus.
DU suspends three teachers, relieves four others of duties
The notification mentioned that the association is strongly protesting against the recent decisions to permanent expulsion of one professor and relief of six professors from academic and administrative responsibility, taken by the syndicate meeting. DU is an autonomous institution. It’s conducted by the ‘Dhaka University Order, 1973’, not any order form the state machinery.
“According to the law, the university administration doesn’t have any authority to punish any teacher, officer and staff before the completely prove by the fact-finding committee and the tribunal,” the notification added.
The former ‘unelected administration’ of DU had followed a one-way policy by creating mob, the notification alleged. “Avoiding the Dhaka University laws and policies, 70-80 teachers have been restrained from their duties, and an initiative has been adopted to humiliate them socially by imposing various tags, which, basically, a form of mental and economical oppression.”
The notification said, university is such a place where diverse opinions, paths, philosophies and ideologies coexist. This is rare case of DU to take punitive measurements against the senior, wise and experienced teaches in the wake of changing political circumstance. Only, during the independent war of 1971, the brutal intellectual killing was taken place in DU to drain the brightest minds, as part of ethnic cleansing.
The association said that the political shifting is a normal democratic process. But, the culture of fear, panic and insecurity created in the teacher society by taking punitive actions, suppressing of dissenting opinion, compressing freedom of express, for the wake of political shifting, will be a bad instance in future.
To uphold the autonomy of Dhaka University and to ensure coexistence of teachers—regardless of political affiliation, opinion, gender, or religion, the association demanded withdrawal of these punitive actions.
Meanwhile, fresh question erupted at the campus as tenure of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association’s running committee had ended on 31 December, 2024.
Following the boycott of the 2024 DUTA election by the BNP-aligned White Panel, the Awami League-backed Blue Panel was elected unopposed to all executive committee posts. No fresh election has been held since the July mass uprising.
According to DUTA constitution, the executive committee consists of 15 elected members. However, the association is currently being run only by its president and general secretary.
Of the 15-member executive committee, 11 members, including the vice-president, treasurer, joint secretary and other executive members, submitted their resignations to the president on 10 February 2025.
There also appears to be a discrepancy between the statements of the association’s president and general secretary regarding the issuance of Thursday’s statement. Although the statement carried the president’s name and signature, the general secretary did not obtain his full approval before releasing it.
DUTA President Prof. Dr. Md. Nizamul Hoque Buiyan said, “Usually, statements are issued by the general secretary. The digital signature is with the secretary. Whether the president’s name is included or not does not really matter. The Teachers’ Association is generally secretary-oriented. The statement was issued by the general secretary. My name is there... she contacted me once and said wanted to issue it in this way. I told her to take some time, but she went ahead and released the statement.”
He added, “the association practically has no members. Just the president and the secretary cannot constitute a teachers’ association. None of the other members are active. Out of the 15-member executive committee, 11 have resigned. One member had resigned earlier, one has passed away, and another has never been in contact with us. We have not even visited the association’s office for the last two years. This is not how a teachers’ association is supposed to function.”
Responding to the president’s remarks, General Secretary Prof. Dr. Zeenat Huda said, “I have already discussed that matter with him. I will not discuss it with you. It is an internal matter between us.”
On the issue of the committee functioning with only two office-bearers, she said, “I am accountable to the voters. We are acting in accordance with the constitution. There is nothing in the constitution that says the association cannot function with just two members. If he has said otherwise, that is his personal opinion.”
Regarding the election, Zeenat Huda said, “We have already requested an election. A letter signed by both the president and the general secretary was sent to Former VC Professor Niaz Ahmed. Why they have not arranged the election is a matter for them.”
According to Dhaka University Teachers’ Association constitution, the previous committee will carry on its work until a new committee takes over the charge of the office after fresh election.