Viqarunnisa Noon School

Row over removal of acting principal

10 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Drama and tension marked yesterday's events at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College over appointment of a new acting principal by removing incumbent Rokeya Akter Begum. As per a High Court verdict, president of the institution's governing body Rashed Khan Menon with a magistrate and police went to dismiss Rokeya around 11:00am. The verdict said Rokeya could be removed as the acting principal. Rokeya Akter, however, declined to step down saying she did not get the certified copy of the verdict and was waiting for her appeal against the judgement to be settled. Meanwhile, the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Dhaka has issued a letter to the college authorities around 3:30pm asking to appoint Shaila Ahmed as acting principal, Rokeya told The Daily Star over the phone. She said she would decide the next course of action after talking to her lawyer. On the situation Rashed Khan Menon said Rokeya Akter cannot discharge the duty of the principal after the HC verdict. The HC on June 8 delivered the verdict on a writ filed by Rokeya Akter as the institution's governing body published advertisement in newspapers looking for a new principal although her tenure was yet to be over. The next day she appealed against the judgement. The hearing of the appeal will take place on June 15. The governing body of the college assigned Rokeya as the acting principal on January 31, 2009 after the then principal Tahmina Khatun had retired. In December, the body extended her tenure by two years, which makes her term last till February next.