The post of registrar at the Chittagong University (CU), one of the most vital administrative positions of the institute, has remained vacant for the past 18 years.
Since then, the duties of the post were carried out by teachers and mid-level officials in different times under the post of ‘acting registrar’, breaching the university’s rules and regulations.
On Sunday, CU Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwarul Azim Arif appointed the university’s chief engineer Md Alamgir Chowdhury as the acting registrar.
Md Alamgir Chowdhury, who had been the university’s chief engineer on a contractual appointment, will now hold both of the posts for the time.
Sources in the university’s administration said the recent appointment has triggered anger among the university’s teachers and officials.
Earlier, Professor Dr Safiul Islam from the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science, has stepped down from the post of acting registrar, showing personal reasons.
Professor Safiul said: “I have resigned because I want to get involved with academic activities again.’
He further added that he found it very uncomfortable to keep away from teaching students.
Administrative sources said, a total of 16 persons served the university as registrar since its inception in 1966, and added that 11 of them had carried out their duties as acting registrar.
The last regular registrar of Chittagong University, Abdur Rashid, retired in 1995.
Sources said the university’s vice-chancellors had repeatedly kept the post vacant after Rashid’s retirement.
Even after issuing several circulars in different times to fill the post, the university has repeatedly failed
to appoint a registrar for the past 17 years.
University sources said in April 21, 2011, CU authorities had issued circulars on newspapers for appointing a registrar. Even though several deserving candidates applied for the post, the university authorities, however, halted the recruitment processes due to unknown reasons.
“Actually, the VCs intentionally keep this position vacant as it is the driving force of the university,” a dean of the university told Dhaka Tribune, seeking anonymity.
“The VCs appoint their preferred individuals as acting registrar and use them for their personal interest,” he added.
Sources said a candidate must have at least 16 years of administrative experience; however, none of the acting registrars appointed so far have met the criteria.
AKM Mahfujul Haque, president of officer association at CU, told Dhaka Tribune that the university authority had paid no heed to their repeated demands to appoint a registrar.
‘We sent an official letter to the vice-chancellor, urging him to appoint registrar as per the requirements,” he added.
Meanwhile, Professor Ifekhar Uddin Chowdury, pro vice-chancellor of CU, told Dhaka Tribune that eligible persons would have to be appointed in right capacities to run the university smoothly.