THE ongoing student protests centring corruption, irregularities, nepotism, and poor governance by the authorities in Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, and Rajshahi universities have created an obnoxious situation in the country’s educational institutions. Recently, the Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University has forced to resign following the 14-day-long students’ protest movement.
On the other hand, JU VC on Wednesday refused to step down despite protests by teachers and students who are continuing their protest against corruption disavowing all political pressure. Students and teachers at Jahangirnagar University on Tuesday started a two-day strike demanding the removal of its Vice-Chancellor Farzana Islam as she did not comply with an ultimatum to resign from her post. At JU protesters under the banner of “Jahangirnagar Against Corruption” showed football match-style red card to the VC to step down for her alleged involvement in corruption. Students are now demanding a judicial inquiry into the reported involvement of the VC and her family in corruption and mismanagement of Tk 1,445 crore of the development projects on the campus. The VC, however, ruled out to entertain the demand of resignation, though Chhatra League President and Secretary were removed following the corruption charge.
Besides, a group of students led by a member of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union issued a 15-day ultimatum to the university authorities to solve the severe accommodation crisis experienced by the freshers in the halls of residence. Meanwhile, a phone conversion between Rajshahi University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Choudhury M Zakaria and the wife of an aspirant for a lecturer post at the university’s Law Department went viral on Tuesday where Zakaria allegedly asked the woman about how much money they were ready to pay.
The University Grants Commission Chairman Kazi Shahidullah on Tuesday called upon the Vice-chancellors of country’s all public universities to ensure transparency and accountability. When teachers’ community indulges in corruption and loses its ethics, the nation becomes morally bankrupt. They don’t see any hope of ray in this darkness. The government must deal with the issue iron-handedly to control the misappropriation in the public universities as they could run professionally. First of all it needs to keep the public universities out of political control.
