Dr. Md. Maksud Helali Appointed KUET Vice Chancellor Amidst Campus Crisis

The government has appointed Professor (Retd.) Dr. Md. Maksud Helali of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) as the new Vice Chancellor (VC) of Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET).

The appointment was formally announced through a circular issued on Thursday, July 24, by ASM Kasem, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Scholarship and Engineering University Wing under the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education.

According to the circular, “With the approval of the President and Chancellor, and under Section 10(1) of the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology Act, 2003, Dr. Md. Maksud Helali, Professor (Retd.), Department of Mechanical Engineering, BUET, has been appointed as Vice Chancellor of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology.”

This marks a historic appointment as Dr. Helali becomes the first person in the country’s history to be appointed as a university vice chancellor through an open call for applications. The circular for the position was published on June 10, and the appointment followed one and a half months later.

As per the terms of appointment, Dr. Helali will serve a four-year term from the date of joining. He will receive the same salary and benefits that he was entitled to at the time of his retirement from BUET. He will also enjoy other allowances and facilities associated with the post in accordance with the regulations. The VC must reside full-time on the university campus, and the President and Chancellor reserve the right to terminate the appointment at any time.

The appointment comes in the wake of prolonged administrative and academic disruptions at KUET. On February 18, violent clashes stemming from demands to ban student politics left over a hundred injured. Following intense student protests, both the VC and Pro-VC were removed from their positions on April 26. Although Professor Hazrat Ali of CUET was appointed interim VC on May 1, he resigned on May 22 due to opposition from KUET’s teachers' association. The subsequent call for applications for a new VC was issued on June 10.

The teachers' association, students, and guardians had been staging demonstrations demanding the swift appointment of a permanent VC to end the deadlock and restart academic activities. On Wednesday, a human chain was formed by the teachers' association to press for the demand.

Since February 18, all academic operations at KUET have remained suspended, causing growing frustration among students and their families. With the appointment of the new vice chancellor, guardians are now urging the resumption of classes and examinations.