No Senate meet in last 5 years

An organisation of university teachers has raised a question over the legality of the administration as the university authorities are carrying out various activities violating the University Act 1973.

According to the act, the university authorities have to call at least one senate session a year where the annual budget will be placed and approved besides approving all other important decisions.

In order to maintain accountability and transparency, all important activities should be approved by the Senate.

Another vital role of the Senate is to finalise a three- member vice-chancellor panel for the approval of chancellor.

The RU Senate has also failed to do the job.

Campus sources said the existing administration during its one and half-year tenure did not call any senate session.

The previous administration led by Prof Faisul Islam Faruqiu also did not call the Senate session during its three and a half year tenure.

As a result, all administrative and financial activities of the university were not approved by the Senate in sharp violation of the University Act 1973, alleged the Progressive Teachers' Society (PTS), an Awami League-backed organisation of teachers.

Ignoring the Senate, the university administration has been recruiting manpower on political consideration and spending university fund without its approval, said the PTS in a White Paper on the university administration where they claimed that the existing administration has no moral right to stay in power.

Prof Abdus Sobhan, a syndicate member as well as convener of the PTS said, both the existing and previous administrative bodies were not approved by the senate, rather they were appointed on political consideration.

So a politically motivated vice-chancellor cannot run the university as per rules, he added.

Acknowledging the fact that there was no senate session during his tenure, Vice-chancellor Prof Altaf Hossain blamed the previous administration for not calling any senate session.

" However, I took two initiatives to hold the Senate meeting but failed. I will try again to hold it after the national election," he added.