Barishal University comes to a standstill as teachers declare VC ‘unwanted’

Academic and administrative activities at University of Barishal remained paralysed today (11 May) as teachers enforced a second round of "complete shutdown", pressing a one-point demand for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Taufiq Alam alongside the implementation of the promotion policy and steps to address the shortage of teachers.

From the morning, teachers from different departments boycotted classes and all academic activities as part of the pre-announced programme.

They staged demonstrations on the ground floor of the university's administrative building.

University officers and staff also expressed solidarity with the movement by locking their offices, bringing all official activities to a halt.

In a further escalation of the protest, three teachers have already resigned from key administrative posts.

The protesting teachers have also declared the current vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Taufiq Alam, "unwanted" on campus.

The teachers had earlier launched a non-cooperation movement on 21 April. Although talks were initiated later through mediation by the divisional commissioner, no effective resolution emerged.

Associate Professor Hafiz Ashraful Haque said, "The vice-chancellor is not working to implement any of our demands. He is talking about framing statutes. Yet the university is already run under existing policies, and promotions were granted under those same policies in the past. Teachers can also be promoted under those policies. But instead of taking effective steps to resolve this long-standing and justified demand, he is delaying the matter."

Associate Professor Dr Dhiman Kumar Roy, chairman of the Department of Geology and Mining and one of the protesting teachers, said, "We have declared the vice-chancellor unwanted. We will not extend him any administrative cooperation. Teachers holding different administrative responsibilities are resigning. Three have already stepped down. More than six months have passed since the promotion board was supposed to be formed, yet the vice-chancellor has kept the matter pending. That is why we will no longer cooperate with him administratively."

Associate Professor Shahnaz Parveen Rimi said, "We had placed our trust in the vice-chancellor. Yet he is not helping us secure the recognition we deserve. Where our promotions should have been straightforward, they are instead being held back on various pretexts. We will not withdraw from the movement until our legitimate demands are met."

Responding to the allegations, Vice-Chancellor Prof Taufiq Alam said, "As the necessary statutes have not yet been framed, it is not possible to implement all of the teachers' demands immediately. I have spoken with the UGC. I have repeatedly tried to sit with the teachers. But they remain firm on the protest issue. We can resolve everything through discussion. Because of the teachers' movement, students are being affected and the university has also become stagnant."