Shahjalal varsity crisis deepens
Students form human chain for classes, teachers on strike for more staff
Iqbal Siddiquee, Sylhet.
Students formed a human chain on the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus on Friday to press immediate start of first year Honours classes.But it is still uncertain, affecting 900 students, as the teachers are on strike demanding recruitment of more teachers. The first year students have already lost one year. The SUST has already a session jam of 26 months. Sources on the campus said the crisis will deepen as students are preparing for a greater movement. They have other demands including construction of more dormitories and a cafeteria and publication of semester examination results. Earlier, first year Honous classes were scheduled to begin on August 31. The SUST Academic Council held three meetings in the last two weeks to start classes, but the teachers declined to take classes till appointment of new teachers. Different student bodies have meanwhile given memorandums to the authorities to begin classes by resolving the teacher shortage. The students have formed a 31-member body to build a movement to press their demands. The teacher crisis deepened as the authorities recently granted study leave to 28 more teachers. Four teachers quit their jobs earlier. Acting Vice Chancellor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed told the Academic Council meetings that appointment of 38 teachers and 67 staff has been approved but recruitment could not be made due to a two-month embargo by the University Grants Commission (UGC). But the teachers were unmoved and continued to stay away from classes. Prof M Shafiqur Rahman of Dhaka University was appointed VC and Prof Mosleh uddin Ahmed Pro-VC on February 13, 2001. Prof Shafique did not appoint any teacher. Within months, he went on leave on health ground as the teachers association pressed for appointment of more teachers and put forward other demands including promotion of some teachers. Since then the Pro-VC Prof Mosleh Uddin Ahmed is running the administration as acting VC. Sources said, out of 304 teachers in the university, only 160 were now working. Besides, 28 more will go on study leave before start of new semesters. A total of 149 teachers are on leave for long, 43 of them on unauthorised leave. The university has only seven professors against 17 posts. Among the seven professors, two are on lien now. Against 30 posts of associate professors, the university has now only 13, three of them on leave. The Teachers Association has demanded appointment of 110 teachers.
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