Universities reopen but normal classes yet to resume

Many universities in Bangladesh opened on Sunday 18 August in response to a government directive to resume all academic activities after month-long closures caused by the student protests that ultimately ousted the country’s former prime minister.

However, full university functions, including academic activities, are yet to resume.

Significant numbers of students have stayed away as institutions are hampered by the unprecedented vacuum left by the resignation since the fall of the former government on 5 August of at least 23 vice-chancellors, 10 pro vice-chancellors and many other administrative personnel, most of them supporters of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.

The leadership vacancies are a challenge that must now be tackled by the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

While teachers in some departments at various universities took the initiative to hold classes on Sunday, other institutions, such as Dhaka University, held no classes that day.

Discussions with students

“Universities reopened and hope that full-force academic activities will start from later this week or early next week,” Professor Muhammed Alamgir, the University Grants Commission (UGC) acting chair, told University World News on Monday 19 August.

He said restarting academic activities would take time as discussions with students will be needed before then. “As far as we know, students of different universities had already raised some demands. This needs to be resolved,” he noted.

The demands include the punishment of university officials who had an “indifferent” attitude towards students during the protests.

Uncertainty over when fully-fledged academic activities will be restored has also created fear of session jams which will prevent cohorts graduating on time in the country’s 50 public universities.

“It is certain that session jam at universities will increase due to the absence of academic activities and cancellation of many exams unless the authorities take special measures,” Alamgir said.

On the night of 16 July, the former government closed all universities and colleges aiming to quell the activities of the student movement.

However, academic activities at public universities had ceased even prior to that – on 1 July – due to teachers’ “work abstention” over changes in their pension scheme.

Professor Akhtarul Islam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association, told University World News: “We are ready to attend and take classes, as we have previously withdrawn the work abstention programme.”

A lack of leaders

University sources and students told University World News only a few departments at the University of Rajshahi (RU), Chittagong University, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Barishal University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Comilla University, and Begum Rokeya University were functioning.

But student attendance was much lower than normal. National university-affiliated colleges also resumed classes, but also with low student attendance.

Professor Tarikul Islam, RU’s acting registrar, said the university, the country’s third largest, currently has no vice-chancellor.

“We can’t decide anything regarding resuming academic activities fully and decisions on different administrative matters are also hampered,” Islam said, adding: “We will [first] decide upon the appointment of the vice-chancellor.”

Azizur Rahman Mukul, deputy registrar of Jahangirnagar University, said: “We are facing numerous challenges as several key administrative positions remain vacant although we are resuming activities. These issues will only be resolved once the appointments are made.”

“For smooth operation, the leadership of vice-chancellors will be needed first. The government can temporarily give this responsibility to someone before the chancellor appoints a fulltime vice-chancellor. An Immediate decision is needed in this regard,” said UGC’s Alamgir.

Former DU vice-chancellor, Professor Syed Muhammed Abul Faiz, said vice-chancellor positions should not remain vacant and appointments should be made as soon as possible.

“So many people will be needed to be appointed as there are many vacancies created following the resignations. But one needs the right and qualified people in the right place. Unqualified persons should not be appointed vice-chancellor,” he added.

In Bangladesh, the president of the country, who is also chancellor of all public universities, has traditionally appointed vice-chancellors and pro-vice chancellors with recommendations from the prime minister.

Now, the president can appoint a vice-chancellor on a recommendation from the chief adviser (Muhammad Yunus) of the interim government, according to Alamgir.

Education adviser to the interim government Wahiduddin Mahmud said on 18 August: “It is extremely challenging to suddenly appoint new leadership in so many public universities. Nevertheless, we will make every effort to quickly fill these positions, especially at major universities.”

“We are working to fill up the vacuums as soon as possible following the official procedure,” Khaleda Akhter, education ministry additional secretary overseeing the universities, told University World News.

Private university fee concessions

Contrary to attendance in the public sector, authorities said the number of students attending private universities was “almost at a satisfactory level”.

On 19 August, authorities at the private North South University (NSU) in Dhaka said the university would waive 20% of tuition fees and 100% of all other fees for all students admitted in the summer semester of 2024.

The decision was made because the current semester was affected by the recent anti-discrimination student movement and the resulting political changes in Bangladesh, the university said in a statement.

The authorities at another private university, BRAC in Dhaka, extended the deadline for payments for the summer semester, saying some students may face challenges in managing their finances due to the “unforeseen situation” in the country.

Campus politics ban

In the wake of student demands, Dhaka University and Rajshahi University authorities have revised the rules for students staying in dormitories.

Dhaka University reiterated that student rooms will be allocated based on merit and cannot be changed, in response to claims that ruling-party backed student organisations helped students gain dormitory places, of which there is a shortage on most campuses, and forced students to take part in political activities.

Following the protests, Rajshahi University took steps to ban political activities in dormitories.

During last two weeks, seven other public universities – Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Comilla University, Rajshahi University of Science and Technology, Khulna University of Science and Technology, Noakhali University of Science and Technology, Begum Rokeya University and Bangladesh University of Textiles, all announced bans on student politics on campus.

A top UGC official said these measures were to prevent violence and “misdeeds” such as fights for supremacy on campuses among student organisations, especially those linked with the ruling Awami League party.

“During the last 15 years activists of the ruling party backed [the Awami-league affiliated] Chhatra League, [who] maintained a reign of terror. So, we do not want any kind of political activities on campus,” Nazrul Islam, a student at Comilla University told University World News.