Selfish craving among teachers for power and negligence towards the noble profession have pushed Jahangirnagar University to a miserable condition, students have said.
The admission tests for the 2013-14 academic session, due in just a few days’ time, have plunged into uncertainty because of the ongoing anti-VC agitation.
Moreover, since the teachers are remaining absent from classes frequently, the term final examinations of various departments have been held back resulting in session jams.
The university has been going through unrest since early last year when sections of teachers and students started agitation against former vice-chancellor Prof Shariff Enamul Kabir charging him of resorting to widespread irregularities in administration and the killing of Zubair Ahmed, an honours final year student of English department, by Chhatra League activists.
The campus came to an apparent calm after Prof Shariff eventually resigned on May 17 last year and former Dhaka University teacher Prof Anwar Hossain took over soon after.
However, a few months later, the teachers, who had been loyal to the former VC, raised the same allegations against the new VC, and the unrests resumed.
A section of pro-Awami League teachers, in association with some pro-BNP teachers, have launched the agitation against the new VC because they were not getting a share of the “cream of power,” sources said.
These pro-Awami League teachers, comprising mostly those loyal to the former VC, initially welcomed Prof Anwar. But soon they got frustrated as the new VC started getting close to some teachers who were not known to be in the good books of the former VC.
Visible examples include pro vice-chancellors Prof Dr MA Matin (education) and Prof Dr Afsar Ahmed (authorities), who were not known for having good terms with the former VC and have now come to prominence after the new VC took over.
Moreover, newly-appointed Treasurer Prof Dr Abul Khayer, who was once part of the pro-Shariff teachers’ platform “JU Progressive Teachers’ Society,” have recently expressed his backing for Prof Anwar.
Last but the not the least is Prof Dr Muzibur Rahman, who took part in the movement against the former VC, has been made the proctor of the university.
Sources said after having failed to get one of his followers in for the treasurer and the proctor posts, Prof Shariff instigated the movement for ousting Prof Anwar. The followers of the former VC are currently playing the main role, providing all kinds of financial and moral support to the anti-VC movement.
Requesting anonymity, a pro-Awami League teacher told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our VC [Prof Anwar] has been appointed by the Awami League government. But he is patronising others neglecting the mainstream Awami Leaguers.”
Prof Anwar, who has a past of left-wing politics, has also been reportedly favouring the teachers of the “JU Shikkhak Mancha,” a platform of left-leaning teachers. The Shikkhakh Mancha had played an instrumental role in the movement for ousting Prof Shariff last year.
At a recent press conference, the Mancha openly announced its support for Prof Anwar and termed the movement against him “immoral and irrational.”
Meanwhile, the pro-BNP teachers of the university has been playing a critical role by fuelling the anti-VC movement "tactically." They also took part in the movement against the former VC last year and now they have joined hands with the supporters of the former VC, who is also known as a pro-Awami League figure.
In February this year, in the face of strong movement by the teachers, Prof Anwar announced that he would step down from the VC’s post. However, a day later, he retracted reportedly because he was told by the government not to do so.
Kazi Jasim, a final year student of history department, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Because of the teachers’ movement, one VC goes and another comes, but sufferings of the students never end. We expect rational and honest behavior from our teachers. We are not willing to ruin our academic career because of their dirty politics.”
On the other hand, Prof Kamrul Ahsan, general secretary of the platform that has been waging movement against the VC, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our agitation is very much rational. We are agitating peacefully with some serious allegations against the ‘autocrat’ VC.”
Earlier this year, a section of teachers under the banner of JU Teachers’ Association blockaded the administrative building of the university for 39 days. Later they changed the banner and formed General Teachers’ Forum following a High Court rule that had said the academic activities of the university could not be interrupted.
Since then, the teachers have enforced several strikes and boycotted classes and examinations.
Currently, they are staging a sit-in in front of the VC’s residence. In response, the VC himself is also staging a sit-in programme of his own protesting the teachers’ agitation.
Prof Anwar told the Dhaka Tribune: “They are ruining the university’s future in the name of irrational agitation. A public university cannot run like this and that is why I would not stop my protest until the crisis is eliminated.”
