'CU movement a Shibir ploy to capture science faculty'

The movement launched under the banner of Sadharan Chhatra Chhatri Sangram Parisad (SCCSP) is led by Shibir activists including Shehab, Mahboob and Shawkat of Suhrawardy Hall.

The Shibir activists under the cover of the SCCSP want total scrapping of the grade system and reintroduction of the old class system.

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General students responded to the movement call though they want 'revision' of the grade system, not its total scrapping, the sources said. The sources include some CU teachers.

Shibir's purpose behind the movement is to "capture the science faculty" by ensuring recruitment of more of their activists as teachers in mathematics, statistics and chemistry departments, they claimed.

If class system is reintroduced, there is a chance that about 28 students in the three departments, who are now third year students and Shibir activists, will get First Class in Honours examinations.

Twelve of them are in mathematics department, eight in statistics and eight in chemistry departments.

If they get the desired result, teachers will be recruited from among them, the source claimed.

Now there are eight pro-Jamaat teachers in mathematics, seven in statistics and 12 in chemistry departments.

If things go as per the plan, pro-Jamaat teachers will be much more in number than those belonging to other parties, and they will dominate the science faculty, the sources claimed.

With this aim in view, pro-Jamat teachers strongly protested the grade system in the Academic Council meeting held at the office of the Vice Chancellor on September 30. They demanded restoration of class system.

However, the meeting decided not to restore the class system but to revise the grading system.

The meeting formed a seven-member committee to submit a report by October 12.

Besides, deans of all faculties also recommended revision of the grading system, not revival of the old class system.

When contacted Vice Chancellor Prof AJM Nuruddin Chowdhury however denied the allegation that the movement was orchestrated by Shibir.

"We have seen students from all parties taking part in the movement", he said.

But after few days most of the students became disillusioned, he said.

On the progress made by the Academic Council committee in preparing its report, the VC said it is trying to harmonise the recommendations earlier submitted by the deans.