Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed teachers and students of Rajshahi University staged a demonstration on Sunday night, protesting against alleged irregularities in the university鈥檚 teacher recruitment process.
They also urged the university authorities to cancel the written tests for the ongoing teacher recruitment, alleging that the process was biased and lacked transparency.
Witnesses said that BNP鈥檚 student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders and activists brought out a protest procession on the campus and gathered in front of the vice-chancellor鈥檚 residence at night, alleging irregularities in the recruitment board of the psychology department.
Later, several pro-BNP teachers also joined the protest and expressed solidarity with the students.
The protesters alleged that the teacher recruitment process in the psychology department was being manipulated to favour certain candidates with political affiliations, depriving qualified applicants.
鈥榃e found that candidates with top academic results in honours and masters have been dropped, while those ranked seventh or ninth are being selected. RU graduates are being sidelined in favour of outsiders,鈥� said Zia Parishad president Professor Enamul Haque.
He alleged that one of his students, who stood first in the department, had been excluded despite being highly qualified.
The university authorities had recently appointed over 100 teachers through illegal and unethical practices, he said.
鈥楾his written test system is flawed. We demand the immediate cancellation of the ongoing recruitment process. If the authorities do not stop it, we will go for a tougher movement soon,鈥� he added.
RU JCD president Sultan Ahmed Rahi alleged that in the psychology department recruitment, candidates ranked ninth had been chosen for viva voce, while the rules allowed only those ranked first to seventh to apply.
鈥榁ice-chancellor Saleh Hasan Nakib should have resigned after August 5, but he is still clinging to the chair shamelessly. We demand his immediate resignation,鈥� he said.
Professor Jahangir Hossain Babu, RU unit general secretary of University Teachers鈥� Association of Bangladesh, alleged that the written test was used as a tool to eliminate qualified candidates while favouring politically loyal ones.
鈥楾hose who fought on the streets for 17 years and toppled the fascist Hasina regime are being deliberately excluded, while pro-government activists from outside universities are being brought in,鈥� he said.
They demanded the immediate cancellation of the recruitment board and a fresh, transparent recruitment process.
Contacted, psychology department chair Professor Mozibul Huq Azad Khan told 抖阴精品 that the recruitment board held the selection process on Sunday night.
He, however, declined to comment on the protest and asked this correspondent to contact the university registrar.
However, vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib, pro- vice-chancellor (administration) Professor Mohammad Main Uddin, and registrar Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud could not be reached for comment over phone despite repeated attempts.
