A Facebook story posted by Rajshahi University pro-vice chancellor Professor Farid Uddin Khan has sparked outrage and allegations of political favouritism in the university鈥檚 recruitment process after it featured a recommendation from a former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker for an applicant for an RU lecturer post.
About 11:30pm on Saturday, Farid Uddin uploaded a Facebook story showing the admit card of the applicant for the lecturer post at the crop science and technology department with a recommendation on the document from former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker from Chapainawabganj Md Latifur Rahman.
The post went viral and was widely condemned by current students, former students and campus-based student organisations.
Hours later, Farid Uddin deleted the story and posted clarification posts, stating the admit card was uploaded on his Facebook account 鈥榖y mistake鈥�.
鈥楨ach day I receive many documents and curriculum vitae from candidates or their representatives. One former MP called me regarding a candidate. I receive over a dozen such requests. But these never influence written or viva examinations. I apologise for the error [uploading the admit card],鈥� he wrote.
Contacted, Latifur Rahman admitted to calling the pro-VC, but denied issuing a written recommendation.
鈥業 only requested him to look into the candidate鈥檚 academic credentials,鈥� he said.
鈥榃hat is the point of holding written exams if teacher recruitment is to be influenced by a Jamaat leader鈥檚 recommendation?鈥� questioned Fuad Ratul, president of the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front鈥檚 RU unit.
Golam Kibria Meshkat Chowdhury, former central coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination, demanded that the university disclose all admit cards or applications bearing such recommendations.
Bangladesh Jatiatabadi Chatra Dal鈥檚 RU unit president Sultan Ahmed Rahi accused the university administration of turning the recruitment process into a business.
As criticism mounted, RU vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib assured that recommendations and influences would never impact written or viva exams.
鈥楨ven after the July uprising, people鈥檚 mindset has not changed. The culture of recommendations and influences is still deeply rooted in various offices,鈥� he said.
Earlier on October 3, 2019, an audio clip went viral on social media where former RU pro-VC Professor Choudhury M Zakaria was heard asking the wife of a job seeker how much money they would pay for the job.
