Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) completed the process of recruiting 58 teachers and officers on December 2, 2023. One of the newly appointed is Shaon Chandra Samanta, son of vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Dr Swadesh Chandra Samanta. The teachers’ association of that very university raised questions about determining qualification for that appointment. They also lodged a complaint with the Education Ministry in this regard. University Grants Commission (UGC) is investigating the matter at the directive of the Education Ministry.

The same thing has happened at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in the capital. It has been alleged that all the vice-chancellors of the university appointed someone from the families during their tenure. Lately, Hamim Al Rashid, the youngest son of VC Professor Dr Shahidur Rashid Bhuiyan, was appointed as section officer on December 18.        

In 2022, Aohona Arefin, daughter of Barishal University VC Professor Dr Sadequl Arefin, was appointed as a teacher at the civil engineering department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU) in Gopalganj without meeting the requirements. Few days later, Farjana Mahbub, daughter of BSMRSTU VC AQM Mahbub was given a teaching job at the environmental science and disaster management department of Barishal University. Former BSMRSTU VC Professor Dr Khondokar Nasiruddin, during his tenure, relaxed the recruitment conditions to appoint his nephew, Khondoker Mahmud Parvez, as a teacher at the university’s international relations department.   

In order ensure quality higher education, the government has set up a significant number of public universities in the country in last few decades. Public university VCs have long been accused of nepotism and other irregularities in respect of recruitment. Educationists allege that the public universities have now turned into job centers for the relatives of the VCs. Immediately after being made VCs, they start appointing their relatives and followers in different positions. This allegation was brought against more or less all the VCs from time to time. According to teachers and officials of the universities, by doing so, the VC’s are making their position in the administration and internal politics strong. And, the appointment of some VCs have created the opportunity for their unemployed relatives. As a result, public universities are getting administratively weak and their academic activities are being hampered.  

As contacted, Education Watch Chairman Dr Kholiquzzaman, also the head of Dhaka University’s School of Economics, told Bonik Barta, “It is very unfortunate that various irregularities, including favoritism, are taking places in most of our universities. Qualified candidates are being deprived as a result and the universities are also going backward.”

“To get out of this mess, we will have to ensure proper monitoring and those involved in the recruitment process must be honest.  And, monitoring is imperative to ensure their honesty. If actions are taken against those involved in nepotism, others will not refrain from doing so,” he added.

About the recruitment at PSTU, teachers and officials alleged that the VC did not go for written examination only to recruit his son. Even, he ensured recruitment of six relatives of influential individuals to have them by his side.

“We want the recruitment process to be transparent. When the recruitment is done only through oral examination, it gets easy to manipulate. The process becomes questionable. That is why we recommended written exam, but it did not happen. Besides, 19 positions were filled without any recruitment circular, which is completely against the university rules,” Professor Dr Asaduzzaman Miah, the president of PSTU teachers association, told Bonik Barta.       

Despite repeated attempts, PSTU VC Professor Samanta could not be reached for comments. Even, a visit to the university could not get his comment on the issue.

Professor Dr Santosh Kumar Bose, registrar of the university, told Bonik Barta, “We never take written test for our recruitment. Recruitment is done only through oral examination. This has hhapened in this case.”

Hamim Al Rashid, son of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University VC Professor Bhuiyan, joined the university as a section officer in the middle of January. Before that when he was a teacher his eldest son Asadullah Hil Kafi was recruited and his niece was appointed when he was the pro-VC.

There are allegations that quite a few former VCs got their relatives appointed at this university. Teachers and officials said that there were more qualified candidates than the VC’s son in the latest recruitment. The verification rule was not followed in the process of recruitment of Hamim.      

When contacted, VC Professor Bhuiyan told Bonik Barta, “My son got appointed through a test in accordance with the recruitment rules of the university. No rules were relaxed in this regard. His test results are not bad as compared with others who got appointed as section officers. Earlier, my eldest son and niece were also recruited after meeting all the conditions. And, it is not a crime to be son or relatives of a VC.”    

Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury regards the scenario at the public universities as the reality of the time. “The country saw development, but employment was not generated. On the contrary, it has been shrank in some places. This tendency of such recruitment is upward due to unemployment. In order to stop nepotism and irregularities, employment-generating development will have to ensured and laundering of wealth have to be prevented,” he told Bonik Barta.     

BSMRSTU VC and immediate-past Barishal University VC have been accused of appointing each other’s daughters going beyond the rules. Aohona Arefin was given a job at BSMRSTU, Gopalganj while Farjana Mahbub was appointed at Barishal University.

When contacted, Aohona, daughter of ex-VC of Barishal University, asked the correspondent to contact her after going through the job advertisement. Later, she did not receive the calls from Bonik Barta.  

Farjana, daughter of BSMRSTU VC, told Bonik Barta, “I do not want to talk about it. You better examine everything including the job advertisement and talk to those who were on the viva board.”

Immediate-past Barishal University VC Professor Arefin declined remarks on this issue.

BSMRSTU VC Professor Mahbub claimed that Aohona was appointed based on her performance in the oral exam while his daughter Farjana got the job by her own merit.      

This was not the first instance of irregularity at BSMRSTU. In 2017, the then VC Professor Nasiruddin’s nephew Parvez was appointed as a teacher after relaxing the conditions. Later in 2019, a UGC investigating team recommended the removal of Professor Nasiruddin owing to different allegations, including recruitment.  

Educationists feel that corruption and nepotism will come down to a significant extent if the recruitment at the public universities is conducted through a separate commission. “It would have been good for us in every aspect if there was a central process to recruit teachers. This would reduce the scope of nepotism and irregularities and lessen the pressure on us,” Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University VC Professor Dr Soumitra Shekhar Dey told Bonik Barta.

A UGC report in 2011 recommended establishment of a ‘separate recruitment commission’ to carry out the appointment of teachers, officials and employees at the public universities. It also recommended the formulation and implementation of guideline in the light of UGC’s separate directives for the universities with regard to recruitment of university workforce. But, the recommendations were translated into reality.

“We have also received different complaints of irregularities against the public university VCs. Every candidate should get equal opportunity when it comes to recruitment. We recommended a separate commission for the recruitment at the public universities to ensure transparency. If this could be done, we could get rid of corruption and irregularities from the recruitment process,” UGC Member Professor Dr Abu Taher told Bonik Barta, placing great emphasis on ensuring both written and oral tests in the process of recruitment.