RU teachers demand registrar’s removal

Teachers of Rajshahi University demanded immediate implementation of recent government orders, including relieving Prof Abdul Bari from the post of the university registrar.

The RU authorities were compelled to postpone a meeting of admission test committee yesterday after several teachers refused to attend it in presence Prof Bari.

The teachers' move came as the government recently asked the university authorities to remove him for not assisting the University Grants Commission probe committee.

The teachers, while talking to The Daily Star, also said they would boycott any meeting that would be attended by Prof Bari.

As soon as the meeting of the admission committee for the 2020-21 academic year began at 10:00am with Vice-Chancellor Prof M Abdus Subhan's speech, some teachers protested presence of Bari in the meeting.

Chairmen of several departments and deans of faculties also demanded Prof Bari's removal.

Prof Sultan ul Islam, chairman of geology and mining department, also the convener of Teachers' Society against Corruption that has been protesting irregularities in RU, and Prof Abdullah Al Mamun, chairman of English department, confirmed the matter.

"We won't attend any meeting with him [Prof Bari]," said Prof Sultan.

Prof Mamun said they told the authorities that they should take action and remove the registrar soon, following the ministry's order, before holding any meeting.

However, Ajijur Rahman, administrator of the university's public relations office, said the meeting was postponed due to a "special reason".

On Sunday, the government in an order directed the VC to take necessary steps to relieve Registrar Prof Bari from his post for not properly assisting the UGC committee in probing allegations of irregularities at the university.

In separate order on the same day, VC Prof Sobhan has been asked to explain in seven working days why the appointments of his daughter and son-in-law to the university as teachers should not be cancelled.

The education ministry issued separate orders asking Pro-VC Prof Choudhury M Zakaria, the registrar, three teachers and a deputy registrar to explain in seven working days why legal actions would not be taken against them for relaxing education qualifications for recruitment to the university.

The UGC in its probe report submitted in October 20 recommended taking actions against the VC, pro-VC and others concerned over the matter. It also suggested scrapping the appointments of 34 teachers, who were recruited under "relaxed university rules".

Talking to this paper over the issues, RU Teachers' Association President Prof Saiful Islam Faruki said this was disgraceful for the university that top administrators were accused of such allegations.

"The government should take steps to implement the directives they issued to the university authorities," he added.

General Secretary of the organisation Prof Ashraful Alam Khan said the university authorities received letters from the ministry. They would look into it and take further steps, following rules and regulations.

He refused to comment on the directives of removing the registrar.

Farid Uddin Khan, associate Prof of economics department, said it was "shameful" that such allegations surfaced. "We don't want to see anyone tarnishing the university's image. The authorities should follow the ministry's orders, for the sake of the university's image. Otherwise, the government should take actions."