While the declaration of the Rajshahi University does not have any administrative posts, there are 9 posts at the university which are being looked after by teachers. There is also criticism about a few on their efficiency. The question is why teachers were given posts instead of officers.
Recently a memorandum was given in this regard from the university officers’ association to the VC.
Communication, library, press, science and technical, transport, central cafeteria, treasury, legal cell, curator and other areas are deemed administration and apart from legal cell and the centre for martyrs, all the others are under teachers.
Former VC of Rajshahi University, and senior professor of sociology Muhammad Mizanuddin, said: “In the 70s there weren’t any administrative posts.”
“In appointing officials, political ideology instead of skills is taken into account.”
Former VC of the university and currently a VC of a private university, Professor Abdul Khaleque, said; “Teachers are appointed because in many cases, the officials are not skilled enough.”
The context in which a teacher is appointed in the place of an administrator depends on the VC, he said.
The current VC professor M Abdus Sobhan faced criticism from the media at a press conference held during the convocation on Nov 28. There is also a rumour that Assistant Professor of Botany, FM Ali Haidar, takes money from those seeking jobs.
General Secretary of the university officers’ association, Md Rabbel Hossain, said: “The posts of administration belong to officers but by appointing teachers to these posts, officers are being deprived.”
If teachers are in administration then the teaching duties suffer, commented president of the association Moktadir Hossain Rahi.
Agreeing to what the association members said, former VC professor Mizanuddin added: “Extra responsibility impedes research work.”
An assistant registrar of the university told Bangla Tribune: “The VC’s create administrative posts to give special facility to teachers loyal to them.”