M M Jasim :
Campuses have turned into ‘insecure’ places for female students following alarming rise of untoward incident like sexual harassment by some teachers at public and private universities in the country.
The female students are worried and feeling insecure on the university campuses. In many cases, the teachers compel them to have sex with them offering different types of allurement, including promising to give extra marks in the exams, internal sources said.
A female student of Jagannath University (JnU), wishing anonymity, told The New Nation that, “Some teachers always disturb me. One of them offered me to spend ‘special time’ with him. I can share it with neither my family members nor my friends. It is totally embarrassing for me.”
Like her, hundreds of female students are also passing their university life with the same difficulties. Many of them managed to protect them, but someone can’t from the morally wrong teachers.
Recently, two female students of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology have been violated by a teacher of the university. Actually, the teacher has damaged the student’s life. He sexually harassed the female students promising to give extra marks.
The university authorities, however, suspended Mahfujur Rashid Ferdous, Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department after the students’ demonstration.
The agitating students also demanded permanent suspension and trial of the teachers.
On April 27, the authorities of Jagannath University
suspended Mir Mosharref Hossain (Razib Mir), a teacher of Mass Communication and Journalism Department for giving an immoral proposal to a female student.
Razib Mir was suspended as per reports of the fact-finding committee which was formed to investigate the proposition following the submission of complaints against him from two students of the department.
The primary complaint also includes the names of two other teachers — Bornona Bhowmick and Prianka Sornokar — but they were not charged due to lack of proof.
Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman, Vice-Chancellor of JnU, said Razib was suspended in the syndicate meeting as there is proof of the claims brought against him.
Earlier on April 11, two female students of the Journalism Department submitted a complaint to JnU VC, mentioning that Razib threatened to give them lower grades on the exam sheet if they did not consent to his proposition.
An audio record was also submitted in support of one of the student’s accusation.
University authorities took an immediate step to form a five-member fact finding committee with its Treasurer Professor Selim Bhuyan as the chief.
Earlier on April 6 of 2014, students of the Journalism Department formed a human chain and submitted a memorandum against Razib after mentioning his behaviour towards female students and supporting militant activities.
It was also known that Razib was detained at his former place of employment, Shamsunnahar Hall of Chittagong University by its female students for his immoral proposal on March 29 of 2004.
On April 22, a Rajshahi University (RU) teacher was sent on forced retirement on charge of sexual harassment of a female student.
The RU administration took the decision at its 465th meeting of the syndicate.
The teacher, sent on forced retirement, is Professor Dr Kamrul Hasan Mazumder of the Department of Geological Science and Mineral Resources. He was also the former President of Rajshahi University Teachers Association.
The syndicate and university sources said on October 21, 2014, a female student of the department submitted a written complaint against Professor Kamrul Hasan Mazumder to the university’s ‘Committee against Sexual Harassment and Prevention’.
The committee carried out an investigation receiving the complaint of the student. During the investigation, the complaint was found valid and the committee proposed to the university authorities to suspend Prof Kamrul Hasan Mazumder.
Committee sources said Prof Kamrul Hasan Mazumder sent objectionable proposals to the female student a number of occasions through his mobile phone. He also allured her of providing higher marks in the examinations if she would accept his proposal. Instead of accepting his proposal, the student lodged a complaint with the committee.
It was also mentioned in the complaint that the student tried her best to stop the teacher. But the harassment of the teacher crossed all the limit. Later, the sufferer student filed a written complaint to the committee.
Contacted, Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Chowdhury of Dhaka University told The New Nation on Saturday that, “The teachers are the designer of the nation. Everyone follows the teachers and obey their advices. The students respect their teachers as their parents and sometimes more. But unexpectedly some morally wrong teachers of public and private universities have already lost their honour and dignity.”
“Teaching profession is not the place to involve in any immoral activities. There are many places to do anything. When a teacher comes to the teaching profession he or she must avoid any unsocial activities. If one could not maintain these, then he or she should not be a teacher,” Serajul Islam Chowdhury said.
“I never saw any news of violation of any female student by teachers in my student life. I never also heard it in my active teaching profession. But now we hear everyday that teachers are involved in unsocial activities or dishonest job,” he said.
“The relations between the teachers and students will be deteriorated if the unexpected incident like sexual harassment continues. The teachers must stop it in the interest of the society. The morally wrong teachers must be ousted from the noble profession of teaching,” added Serajul Islam Chowdhury.
Campuses have turned into ‘insecure’ places for female students following alarming rise of untoward incident like sexual harassment by some teachers at public and private universities in the country.
The female students are worried and feeling insecure on the university campuses. In many cases, the teachers compel them to have sex with them offering different types of allurement, including promising to give extra marks in the exams, internal sources said.
A female student of Jagannath University (JnU), wishing anonymity, told The New Nation that, “Some teachers always disturb me. One of them offered me to spend ‘special time’ with him. I can share it with neither my family members nor my friends. It is totally embarrassing for me.”
Like her, hundreds of female students are also passing their university life with the same difficulties. Many of them managed to protect them, but someone can’t from the morally wrong teachers.
Recently, two female students of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology have been violated by a teacher of the university. Actually, the teacher has damaged the student’s life. He sexually harassed the female students promising to give extra marks.
The university authorities, however, suspended Mahfujur Rashid Ferdous, Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department after the students’ demonstration.
The agitating students also demanded permanent suspension and trial of the teachers.
On April 27, the authorities of Jagannath University
suspended Mir Mosharref Hossain (Razib Mir), a teacher of Mass Communication and Journalism Department for giving an immoral proposal to a female student.
Razib Mir was suspended as per reports of the fact-finding committee which was formed to investigate the proposition following the submission of complaints against him from two students of the department.
The primary complaint also includes the names of two other teachers — Bornona Bhowmick and Prianka Sornokar — but they were not charged due to lack of proof.
Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman, Vice-Chancellor of JnU, said Razib was suspended in the syndicate meeting as there is proof of the claims brought against him.
Earlier on April 11, two female students of the Journalism Department submitted a complaint to JnU VC, mentioning that Razib threatened to give them lower grades on the exam sheet if they did not consent to his proposition.
An audio record was also submitted in support of one of the student’s accusation.
University authorities took an immediate step to form a five-member fact finding committee with its Treasurer Professor Selim Bhuyan as the chief.
Earlier on April 6 of 2014, students of the Journalism Department formed a human chain and submitted a memorandum against Razib after mentioning his behaviour towards female students and supporting militant activities.
It was also known that Razib was detained at his former place of employment, Shamsunnahar Hall of Chittagong University by its female students for his immoral proposal on March 29 of 2004.
On April 22, a Rajshahi University (RU) teacher was sent on forced retirement on charge of sexual harassment of a female student.
The RU administration took the decision at its 465th meeting of the syndicate.
The teacher, sent on forced retirement, is Professor Dr Kamrul Hasan Mazumder of the Department of Geological Science and Mineral Resources. He was also the former President of Rajshahi University Teachers Association.
The syndicate and university sources said on October 21, 2014, a female student of the department submitted a written complaint against Professor Kamrul Hasan Mazumder to the university’s ‘Committee against Sexual Harassment and Prevention’.
The committee carried out an investigation receiving the complaint of the student. During the investigation, the complaint was found valid and the committee proposed to the university authorities to suspend Prof Kamrul Hasan Mazumder.
Committee sources said Prof Kamrul Hasan Mazumder sent objectionable proposals to the female student a number of occasions through his mobile phone. He also allured her of providing higher marks in the examinations if she would accept his proposal. Instead of accepting his proposal, the student lodged a complaint with the committee.
It was also mentioned in the complaint that the student tried her best to stop the teacher. But the harassment of the teacher crossed all the limit. Later, the sufferer student filed a written complaint to the committee.
Contacted, Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Chowdhury of Dhaka University told The New Nation on Saturday that, “The teachers are the designer of the nation. Everyone follows the teachers and obey their advices. The students respect their teachers as their parents and sometimes more. But unexpectedly some morally wrong teachers of public and private universities have already lost their honour and dignity.”
“Teaching profession is not the place to involve in any immoral activities. There are many places to do anything. When a teacher comes to the teaching profession he or she must avoid any unsocial activities. If one could not maintain these, then he or she should not be a teacher,” Serajul Islam Chowdhury said.
“I never saw any news of violation of any female student by teachers in my student life. I never also heard it in my active teaching profession. But now we hear everyday that teachers are involved in unsocial activities or dishonest job,” he said.
“The relations between the teachers and students will be deteriorated if the unexpected incident like sexual harassment continues. The teachers must stop it in the interest of the society. The morally wrong teachers must be ousted from the noble profession of teaching,” added Serajul Islam Chowdhury.
