State-run Bangladesh University Professionals (BUP) appears to have achieved a mark of excellence amid the Covid-19 pandemic through introducing online classes from the very beginning of the its (disease) outbreak in the country. “When the pandemic forced other academic institutions’ shutdown at initial stage, we opted to continue our classes and administrative works online,” BUP Vice-Chancellor Major General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan told BSS. He said the educational institutions were shutdown on March 17, days after the first three Covid-19 cases were reported while the BUP,run by Bangladesh Armed Forces, launched its online classes on March 22.
Hasan said the Education Ministry and the University Grants Commission (UGC) endorsed the BUP action issuing subsequent directives as “we chose to defy the pandemic through digital means, adhering to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dream to materialize Digital Bangladesh”.
He said the deans and other faculties of the university decided to opt for digital classes and exhausted their capacities and motivate students to attend online classes. Hasan recalled that he assumed the charge as the vice chancellor on March 3 while the outbreak of the pandemic was reported on March 8, a situation that prompted him to call a meeting of senior faculties.
“We all realized that the crisis will not end soon, so we decided to offset the pandemic through digital means starting classes virtually,” he said.
Mentioning that no class has been disrupted due to corona situation, the VC said, “We completed the first semester on June 18 and started classes of second semester on time from July 1.”
Hasan said the university managerial bodies like Deans’ Committee, Finance Committee, Academic Council, Syndicate and Senate Session now also hold their meetings using digital means.
He said they kept the final examinations postponed as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Education advised to take the final exams after reopening the universities.
“We’ll, however, take the final exams after holding classes for two weeks and conducting practical classes after reopening the university,” he said.
In the beginning of launching academic activities virtually, the VC said, the university authorities faced some problems as the students went to their homes without taking textbooks, while some of them had not laptops.
“About 1000-1200 students had no laptops. I took initiative to give them laptops with installments. I have also given Taka 10,000 to over 400 lower income families and internet package to 500 students and faculty members so that they can be linked to the online classes,” Hasan said.
