Chancellor's intervention sought to 'save' USTC

Lack of administrative rules, personal whims and non-implementation of the Private University Act have paralised the university, they said at a press conference here on Monday.

They also put forward some demands to save the USTC.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The demands include removal of elderly and sick National Professor Dr. Nurul Islam from the post of vice-chancellor and executive head and measures to run the university by a legal authority comprising members from Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, Pharmacy Council and USTC Teachers' Committee.

Prof Dr. Imam Uddin, president of the Coordination Committee of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and USTC read out a written statement at the press conference. Among others, Chittagong BMAQ General Secretary Dr Khurshid Jamil Chowdhury, USTC UTA President Dr Mulkutur Rahman and Dr ANM Faruq-ur-Rashid replied to questions.

They said the university is not a privately owned one. Its land was given by the ministry of communication and it is being run by funds raised through admission and tuition fees and grants from different government and non-government organisations, they said.

The committee leaders alleged that in view of the demand for rules to remove discrimination in salary, the university authorities formed four pay commissions last year. But none of the pay-scale reports was published.

To implement the Private University Act '92 and '96 and introduce pay scale and service rule, the authorities on August 14 this year signed an agreement with BMA, teachers and students. But on September 30 the authorities refused to abide by the pay scale, they said.

The USTC Vice-chancellor in a meeting with the BMA-USTC Coordination Committee on October 19 again accepted all demands of the agitating teachers and students and signed another agreement. But nothing followed after he went to Dhaka, they alleged.