ONLINE education activities of Jagannath University (JU) have been shutdown due to wrangle between the Chairman of the Department of Geography and Environment and other teachers. Students have complained that no online classes have been held properly for more than two months. Due to rivalry between the teachers, regular online classes are disrupted. As a result, students of the department are worried about session jam.
Earlier, 14 teachers of the department expressed their distrust to work under the Chairman Prof Moniruzzaman by raising various allegations including illegal withdrawal of money, adoption of unregulated methods in the examination, financial irregularities, harassing teachers, bias attitude, etc. Students said when some other departments continue their classes, they are deprived of the online classes due to internal chaos among the teachers. Where students in other departments have finished one semester and started another semester long ago, we have not been able to finish the previous semester classes. In doing so, we are lagging behind others. We have asked the teachers to resume our class.
The incumbent chairman said classes are going on, but not according to routine, while plaintiffs said we have complained against the chairman, the university administration is looking into the matter. Teachers and students have been dissatisfied with his arbitrariness for a long time. Educationists repeatedly warned the university authority and the UGC to recruit teachers based on merit instead of political affiliation in the university, which VC is a political figure itself and often take the stance of political recruitment.
The political vendetta, what we witnessed in the years, must have effect now, and the wrangle between teachers for financial misappropriation is the sure output. Despite, everything is not falling apart, we have still option to straighten the higher education system by suspending teachers and student politics, increase student exchange programme, orient teachers with research and innovation and dispensing quality education, recruit quality teachers, etc. The public universities run by people’s tax cannot waste money for what is inappropriate and bring no fruit for the country. Sense of accountability should be in place before everything else.
