United News of Bangladesh

Professor Dr Muhammad Yahia Akhtar, a retired professor from the Department of Political Science at Chittagong University (CU), has been appointed as the acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university. In recent days, students had been protesting for a quick appointment of a Vice-Chancellor. A notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. Previously, on August 12, facing demands for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor and other administrative officials, VC Prof Dr. Md. Abu Taher and two Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Professor Benu Kumar Dey and Professor Sekandar Chowdhury, resigned. Since then, Chittagong University has been without administration for more than a month.

Professor Dr Md Rezaul Karim of the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University has been appointed as the seventh Vice-Chancellor of the university. A notification issued on Thursday confirmed the appointment following an order from the President. His tenure will last for four years from the date of joining, during which he will receive the same salary and benefits as his previous position before retirement, along with additional benefits applicable to the role. Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim completed his PhD at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. He has previously served as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Chairman of the Department of Social Work at Jagannath University. Prior to that, he held the position of Chairman of the Department of Social Work and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Rajshahi University, and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Khulna University. Rezaul Karim earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Welfare from the University of Dhaka. He joined Jagannath University as a faculty member in 2008.

The government on Tuesday appointed Prof Dr Mohammad Shamsul Alam as vice chancellor of Islamic Arabic University for the next four years. A gazette notification, signed by Md Shahinur Islam, deputy secretary at the Secondary and Higher Secondary Division of the Ministry of Education, was issued in this regard. Prof Shamsul Alam, a teacher of Islamic Studies department of Dhaka University, was appointed upon approval by the President and Chancellor of the university following Section-111 of Islamic Arabic University Act-2013.

Within a few hours of issuing a one day-ultimatum to appoint a vice chancellor (VC) for Chittagong University (CU), students on Tuesday afternoon again announced a “complete shutdown” demanding the appointment immediately. At a protest rally held on Shaheed Minar premises of the university, student Neyamat Ullah Farabi announced it in the afternoon. "We're supposed to be at the reading table and in the classroom. But such a deadlock has been created that we have been forced to take to the streets leaving our studies. Those who are adopting diplomacy over the appointment of VCs will not be spared. They have to answer to the nation," he alleged. ' He announced, "We are announcing a complete shutdown of the campus until the VC's notification comes. From now on, the administrative building and the two main gates of the university will be closed. The Vice-Chancellor himself will come and open the lock and enter the campus. We will not allow this to continue." Earlier on Tuesday noon, students formed a human chain and blocked the main gate of the campus, demanding the appointment of a VC and other key administrative positions by Wednesday. During the protest, students warned of tougher measures if their demands were not met within a day. They gathered at the main gate of the university's Zero Point around noon holding the human chain for nearly two hours. The students expressed their frustration, stating, “We have faced discrimination in the past, and we have ousted the fascist government. We no longer want to be treated unfairly. While Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, and Rajshahi universities have VCs, CU is left without one, despite our leading role in movements like the quota reform protests and government ousting.” They further added, “A mass uprising has occurred through the self-sacrifice of students. Even though VCs have been appointed at Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, and Rajshahi universities, CU remains without a VC, leaving it without leadership and disrupting both academic and administrative functions. Despite repeated ultimatums, there has been no resolution. If a VC is not appointed quickly, we will intensify our protests starting tomorrow.” On August 12, under pressure from students, CU’s VC Prof Dr. Abu Taher, along with the proctorial body and all hall provosts, resigned. Since then, the university has been operating without a VC for over a month, significantly disrupting academic and administrative activities. Students have been protesting continuously for the past five days, starting on September 8, demanding the immediate appointment of a VC and a Pro VC. Sohrawardi Azad Suman, a former student and PhD researcher, remarked on the situation, “It is very unfortunate that while most universities in the country have appointed Vice-Chancellors, Chittagong University has not. This has led to stagnation at the university. It is crucial to appoint a Vice-Chancellor and other administrative positions as soon as possible to resume educational activities. I support the students’ demands.”

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London conferred an ‘Honorary Doctorate’ to internationally acclaimed economist and Emeritus Professor of the University of Dhaka Dr. Atiur Rahman recently. The ceremony was held at the friends' house, Easton Road, London, where SOAS University of London’s President Zainab Badawi formally handed over the certificate to Dr. Rahman, according to a press release. Lord Michael Hastings, CBE, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University made the welcome remarks. Along with newly graduated students from the University, Dr. Satoshi Miyamura (Economics) and Dr. Yanis Dafermos (Reader in Economics) were present at the event. The university declared nomination of Dr. Rahman for the said honorary degree last May for his contributions towards poverty alleviation as an economist and as the founder chairperson of the think tank organization Unnayan Shamannay. The university specially considered Dr. Rahman’s role in pushing forward financial inclusion and climate-friendly finance while he served as the Governor of Bangladesh Bank. Dr. Rahman is the first Bangladesh citizen to receive this award. Vice Chancellor of the SOAS University of London- Professor Adam Habib made the closing remarks at the event. In his remarks, after receiving the award, Dr. Atiur Rahman reaffirmed his willingness to continue to work for expanding climate-friendly financial services. Later, he delivered a special public lecture titled “Central Banking and Climate Change: The Bangladesh Case” at the Brunei House within the SOAS University Campus. University students, teachers, and researchers participated in the event which was conducted by Dr. Yanis Dafermos. In this keynote presentation, Dr. Rahman highlighted the importance of the climate-friendly role of central banks and monetary policy in the current context along with delineating Bangladesh’s achievements and challenges regarding green and sustainable finance.

BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University, will organise an open discussion on "Forty Days of Uprising: What are People Thinking?" at 3:30 pm on Sunday, at Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of Social Science Faculty in Dhaka University. The event will be held to coincide with International Democracy Day. This year the theme of the International Democracy Day is "Empowering the Next Generation." The speakers of the event include Imran Matin PhD, Executive Director of BIGD, BRAC University; Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SHUJAN); Dr. Samina Lutfa, Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka; Mirza M. Hasan PhD, Senior Research Fellow at BIGD, BRAC University; and Dr. Asif Mohammad Shahan, Associate Professor at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka. Representatives from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and National Citizens Committee (NCC), including Samantha Sharmin, Mamun Abdullahi, Md. Asaduzzaman, and Rownak Jahan. During the event, results of the "Pulse Survey" conducted by BIGD to understand public sentiment, will be presented by the organisers.

Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor of North South University (NSU). A press release, signed by Rafe Sadnan Adel, director (Public Relations Office) at the university, confirmed his appointment on Thursday. Professor Chowdhury was the two-time Dean at School of Business and Economics (SBE) of NSU, and also held various leadership roles including Executive Director of External Relations, Director of the BBA Program, Syndicate Member, and Director of Career Services. He previously served as the Vice Chancellor of Primeasia University and as Pro Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University. Professor Chowdhury holds a PhD and an MS in Operations Research from Northeastern University, Boston, USA. He also earned a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Statistics from Jahangirnagar University.

The government has appointed Dr Abu Borhan Mohammad Badruzzaman, Professor of Civil Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) as its new Vice-Chancellor (VC). The Ministry of Education issued a notification on Thursday in this regard saying that he will be appointed for a four-year term. Dr Badruzzaman will receive the same salary and allowances as his current position and will reside on the campus full-time.   The President, also the Chancellor of the university, can revoke the appointment if necessary, said the notification. Besides, Dr. Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, has been appointed as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Buet for four years. The Education Ministry issued another notification in this regard on Thursday.

Director General (DG) of the Directorate of Primary Education DG Md Abdus Samad has been made Officer on-Special Duty (OSD) on Wednesday. DG Samad has also been transferred to the Ministry of Public Administration as the OSD. A notification, signed by Deputy Secretary Md Alamgir Kabir of the ministry, was issued in this regard. The order will be effective immediately, it reads.

Md Touhidul Islam, an accomplished academic originally from Rajshahi, Bangladesh, has been appointed as an Assistant Professor at Stanford University, marking a historic achievement, US Embassy in Dhaka posted on its verified Facebook page on Tuesday. Touhidul, an alumnus of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), becomes the first Bangladeshi to secure a tenure-track position at this world-renowned institution With a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, Touhidul's research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics. His work is at the forefront of leveraging AI to enhance healthcare outcomes, making significant strides in the field, the post also said.