CUET Dean Rejects Vice-Chancellor’s Routine Duty

Professor Dr Mohammad Abu Kawsar, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), has declined an assignment to perform routine vice-chancellor duties during the vice-chancellor’s absence. He said the decision was communicated without seeking his consent, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the way the responsibility was assigned.

CUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam informed Professor Abu Kawsar that he would be in Dhaka for official work and that the dean would perform routine duties in his absence. The decision was communicated through an email on Tuesday.

Professor Sheikh Shariful Alam said, “I will be in Dhaka for official work. In my absence, the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Dr Mohammad Abu Kawsar, will perform the routine responsibilities.”

Professor Abu Kawsar, however, rejected the assignment and expressed his displeasure. He said, “I was not consulted before being given this responsibility. Does the fact that he (the vice-chancellor) has written an email on his own mean that I have to perform these duties? I strongly protested over the phone and rejected the assignment. I told him that, if necessary, he could remove me from the position of dean. I am not involved in these matters.”

Two government-nominated members join CUET syndicate

Separately, the Ministry of Education has nominated Engineer Mohammad Iqbal Karim and Engineer Shafiqul Islam Khan as government-nominated members of CUET’s syndicate, the university’s highest policymaking body. Their appointments will be for a two-year term.

The nominations were announced in a notification issued on Sunday, 1 November, signed by Md Sultan Ahmed, Assistant Secretary of the Scholarship and Engineering Universities Branch of the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Ministry of Education.

According to the notification, the two engineers were nominated under Sections 18(1)(f) and 18(2) of the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology Act, 2003, under the category of research in science and technology or industrial establishments.

Among the nominees, Engineer Mohammad Iqbal Karim (NDC) is a former chief engineer of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). Engineer Shafiqul Islam Khan is a former senior mechanical engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

The notification also cancelled the previous nomination-related order issued on 16 February 2025. Under the new order, the two nominees will serve on the CUET syndicate for the next two years.
//DBTech/CRH/SME/MIST//