Bangladesh News

The BNP-Jamaat backed ‘white-panel’ teachers of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday demanded relaxation of the admission criteria of several departments for the madrasa students.

Over 50 white-panel teachers made the demand at a meeting with DU Vice Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz at his office on the university campus.

They also told the VC that they would boycott all activities related to the admission process if the issue is not resolved immediately.

Although the white-panel teachers are now opposing the admission conditions, they were directly involved with the process of finalising those as out of 11 deans, nine are from the white-panel.

Earlier, the chairmen of four out of the seven departments said they decided to introduce the conditions to maintain academic standards, not to exclude madrasa students from the admission process.

Progressive teachers and students of the university alleged that pro-BNP and Jamaat teachers are putting pressure on the university authorities and the departments concerned to help Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, establish their supremacy on the university campus.

As per the Dhaka University Order, 1973, the academic committee of a department will make the decisions about the admission of students to the department concerned.

“All policy matters shall be dealt with by two departmental committees–Academic Committee and Co-ordination and Development Committee. The academic committee shall deal with–admission of students, syllabuses, examinations, teaching in the department and co-curricular activities of the students,” mentions section 43, part one of the order.

Six departments — English, Bengali, Mass Communication and Journalism, International Relations, Women and Gender Studies and Linguistics — have decided not to allow students who did not study 200 marks in English and Bengali each in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or equivalent examinations.

The economics department also introduced a condition that only the students who studied economics, not Health Economics or Islamic Economics, in HSC and equivalent exams will be eligible for admission to the department.

Over a hundred madrasa students mainly Shibir cadres vandalised the VC office on October 18 demanding cancellation of the decision.

Prof Harun-or-Rashid, dean of Social Science faculty, said the departments’ rights given by the university order, 1973 to make decisions would be hampered if the conditions are changed.

VC Prof SMA Faiz told the reporters that he would call a meeting of the deans’ committee if he receives any request in writing from any of the deans.

He said if the deans’ committee thinks that the admission criteria can be relaxed he would ask the department concerned to revise the admission criteria.

Pro-Awami League ‘blue-panel’ teachers at a separate meeting with the VC urged him not to influence the departments’ decision-making power given by the university order, 1973.

Asked why they demanded relaxation of the conditions, ‘white-panel’ Convener Prof Sadrul Amin told the reporters, “There should not be any discrimination against any section of students”.