UGC Panel Seeks Views to Resolve CUET Stalemate

A six-member advisory committee of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) has begun consultations with teachers, students and university staff to help resolve the ongoing stalemate at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET). The committee held separate meetings at the university’s central auditorium on Wednesday, October 28, and said it would advise the government on possible steps to improve the situation after reviewing the views of all stakeholders.

The day’s programme began with a meeting with teachers at around 10:30am, followed by discussions with students at noon. The committee was also scheduled to meet university officers and employees in the afternoon.

The panel is headed by UGC member Professor Abdullah Al-Mamun. Its member-secretary is UGC Additional Director Md Mahibul Ahsan. Other members include the vice-chancellors of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the University of Chittagong and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), as well as Md Mahbubul Haque Patwari, additional secretary of the University Wing of the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Ministry of Education.

Teachers submit their position

Professor Rashidul Hasan, dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, said teachers had presented their position and explained the background to their movement during the meeting. He told reporters that they had outlined their views verbally and submitted supporting documents to the committee.

Hasan said the committee had listened to the teachers’ concerns. He expressed hope that the issues raised would be conveyed to senior government officials, the Ministry of Education and relevant departments, leading to an acceptable decision to resolve the impasse.

Students demand reinstatement of former vice-chancellor

Students reiterated their demand for the reinstatement of former vice-chancellor Professor Abu Sayed Muhammad Sayem.

Ghulam Murshed Ratul, a student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said they had maintained this demand from the beginning. According to him, teachers, officers and employees were also protesting for Sayem’s reinstatement. He said students had communicated their position to the advisory panel.

Chhatra Dal delegation presents its views

After the meeting with students, six to seven activists from Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal met the advisory committee. The delegation included the organisation’s president, Wasif Rashid, and its organising secretary, Biplob Hossain.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rashid said the organisation also worked on issues concerning students’ rights. He described the appointment of a vice-chancellor as a state decision and part of a broader process, adding that his delegation had not come to the meeting as an opponent of other students.

Rashid alleged that academic activities had been disrupted and classes suspended. He also claimed that some people who had come to meet the vice-chancellor were obstructed and that some individuals had been removed from academic groups.

He said the delegation had come to present its views to a committee formed to resolve the stalemate. He added that the organisation engaged in politics for students’ welfare.

Panel to advise the government

After the consultations, committee head Professor Abdullah Al-Mamun said the panel had been formed to review the situation at CUET and explore possible solutions. The committee had spoken to teachers and students on its first day and would also hear from university officers and employees.

He said the panel would seek to make recommendations that could improve the university’s current situation, taking into account the views of all parties. The government’s response to the committee’s eventual recommendations has not yet been announced.

//DBTech/Rakib Hasan/SME/FOE//