Jahid Hossain, JnU :
Students and teachers of Jagannath University (JnU) are demanding that the new Vice-Chancellor (VC) be appointed from within their own institution. They have stated that they will not accept a VC brought in from another institution.
The students and faculty pointed out that over the past 19 years, six VCs have been appointed from Dhaka University (DU), but JnU has not seen the expected progress. They believe that one of the main reasons for this lack of advancement is that none of the previous VCs were chosen from JnU’s own faculty.
The protestors argue that while past VCs may have fulfilled their routine duties, they failed to address the university’s infrastructural issues and basic student needs. There are also allegations of corruption against several of these former VCs.
On Sunday, JnU students held a protest on campus, demanding that the next VC be selected from among the university’s own teachers. They warned that if anyone from outside the university is appointed, that person will not be allowed to enter the campus.
“We, the general students, demand the appointment of a VC from our university teachers. If the government does not appoint a VC from JnU, we will boycott the decision,” said Musa Kalimullah, a law student, to The New Nation on Tuesday.
“VCs come and go, but our problems remain unsolved. Everyone promises solutions, but no one delivers. We want our guardian to be from our own university,” he added.
Shahinur Alam, a student from the Mass Communication and Journalism Department, said, “Our main demand is that the VC must be from our university. However, we will not accept any teacher who opposed the student movement or supported the previous government’s student wing. Previous VCs from outside have been involved in corruption. To ensure the university’s welfare, we want a student-friendly VC from our own faculty.”
Who Are in Discussion?
Several Jagannath University faculty members are being discussed as potential candidates for the VC position. These include Dr. Payer Ahmed, Professor of the Mathematics Department; Professor Raich Uddin Ahmed, General Secretary of the White Panel; Dr. Shah Nistar Jahan Kabir, Professor of the Mass Communication and Journalism Department; and Professor Rezaul Karim of the Social Work Department.
Dr. Payer Ahmed joined Jagannath University as a professor in 2012 and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Science in 2018. He has held various important roles, including as a Syndicate Member and an Academic Council Member. Dr. Ahmed has taught at 11 universities, both in Bangladesh and abroad, and has published more than 40 research papers in national and international journals. He is known on campus as an eloquent, articulate, and student-friendly teacher. Dr. Ahmed also played an active role in organizing the anti-quota student movement.
Professor Raich Uddin, the general secretary of the White Panel and joint secretary of the university teachers’ association, has also been involved in the anti-discrimination student movement. He has faced harassment from the former VC Mizanur Rahman due to his association with opposition politics.
Dr. Shah Nistar Jahan Kabir, another candidate, is a professor in the Mass Communication and Journalism Department and was also active in the anti-quota movement. She participated in the movement in Shahbagh on August 5, the day of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s escape.
Professor Rezaul Karim was the Chairman of the Department of Social Work and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Rajshahi University from 1986 to 2005. He later served as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Khulna University before joining Jagannath University as a lecturer in 2008. At JnU, he has served as Chairman of the Department of Social Work and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, playing a key role in developing the university’s rules and regulations.
The students and teachers of JnU emphasize that the university should not be treated as a subsidiary of any other institution.