Vice-Chancellors Being Appointed Are of an Unbelievably Low Standard: Anu Muhammad
Economist Anu Muhammad has criticised the appointment of vice-chancellors at the country’s universities, saying the process remains similar to that of the previous government.
“Vice-chancellors of such an unbelievably low standard are being appointed. It is clear that they are being selected to implement specific objectives and agendas,” he said.
Anu Muhammad made the remarks at a roundtable discussion titled “Academic Freedom in Bangladesh: Status, Nature and Challenges” at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Dhaka University on Thursday afternoon.
He said academic freedom at universities cannot be ensured without political freedom and broader individual and social freedoms in the country.
“If having the legal right to autonomy were the main condition, the four autonomous universities should have extensive academic freedom,” he said, questioning how around 1,100 Dhaka University teachers could sign a statement declaring an election fair.
He also questioned whether teachers had been pressured into signing the statement and said intellectual freedom and teachers’ sense of responsibility toward society remained important concerns.
Discussing student politics, Anu Muhammad said his review of student politics from the 1960s to 2022 showed that the core problem was not student organisations themselves, but government-backed student organisations.
According to him, government-aligned student politics makes the entire issue dependent on the government and effectively brings the problem from the state.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain said universities should have a system of restorative justice, adding that such a system would be relevant not only to universities but to the country as a whole.
East West University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Shams Rahman, Stamford University Associate Professor Sheikh Nahid Niazi, North South University teacher Sharmi Hossain and Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua also spoke at the discussion.
Dhaka University Sociology Professor Samina Lutfa and Rajshahi University Mass Communication and Journalism Professor Al Mamun jointly moderated the event.