Staff Reporter :
In the absence of specific rules or policies, the Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of the country’s public universities are being appointed by dint of influence and lobbying, University Grants Commission (UGC) sources said.
This practice is blocking the path for the qualified, eminent and respected teachers worthy to hold the positions essential for running the academic and administrative activities of these educational institutions in the tertiary level.
Right now the country has 52 public universities and some of them are in the pipeline. Only four old universities – Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Chattogram University and Jahangirnagar University – got the Vice-Chancellors as per 1973 Ordinance.
But the rest of the universities, according to UGC, don’t have any rules or guidelines for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Treasurers – the three vital posts for the university.
The UGC, the apex regulatory body to oversee the universities of Bangladesh, is completely in the dark as to how the vital posts especially the VC posts for the public universities are being appointed.
Sources said whenever any allegations of corruptions or misconducts or moral turpitudes against the top posts come to light, the apex regulatory body rushes to the spot to investigate the matter.
The UGC is not any part for the recruitment process of these individuals holding chairs.
The apex body, however, said if they had the authority to assess the past records of both academic qualification and administrative caliber of the individuals before the appointment, the universities could sort out better persons for the posts. Citing the process of the VC recruitment for the private university, the Commission sources said they get a three-member panel from the respective private university and out of these, they recommend one to the government for the appointment.
With this process the quality is maintained to the great extent at the same time the transparency is ensured.
“Right now there are no rules or policies for the appointment of the VC for the public universities. The persons who have power, influence or lobbying capacity get the appointment for the post,” UGC Secretary Ferdous Zaman told the New Nation on Saturday.
“The UGC does not know how the VCs are appointed. The good, qualified and respected persons in the society do not know how to do lobby,” he added.
“The process for the appointment of VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers in public universities is not transparent in absence of any specific policy. If the VCs are appointed through a transparent process, the controversy about them will be reduced,” he told this correspondent.
Asked about whether they have sat with the government about such policy, he said, “We still did not sit with the government. But we will do it for the sake of restoring discipline in the tertiary level of education.”
“If the government asks for any recommendation for the appointment of VC, we can do it,” he added.
“UGC does not play any role in the VC appointment process for public universities. But when any allegation is raised against the VC, we have to investigate it. What we recommend in the investigation papers is not properly followed,” UGC member Professor Dr. Muhammed Alamgir told the New Nation.
“We want that the process of appointment will be transparent through a guideline or policy or rules. I have recently talked about it in the Parliamentary Standing Committee as well. No rules mean absence of transparency,” he pointed out.
The Commission, sources said, has a forthcoming meeting on April 7 in which this matter of VC appointment may get some more focus to carry it on.
Such an urge for policies or guidelines was felt by the Commission for a long time ago and now they have started working on it as UGC alone don’t have any such power to exercise for final decision.
The willingness of the government, Muhammed Alamgir said, is a must for ensuring transparency in this process.
The Commission said the appointment process for the vital posts in the public universities cannot go unnoticed for indefinite period without following guidelines and overseeing.
The government, UGC said, should immediately take necessary steps to bring discipline in the appointment process to reduce the recurrent controversies about the VCs.
