President chooses him from 3-man panel
President Zillur Rahman yesterday appointed Prof Anwar Hossain as the vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University for four years choosing from a three-member elected panel.
Confirming the appointment, the VC told The Daily Star that his first priority would be to work together with his colleagues. “Those who were demonstrating had withdrawn their programmes showing respect to court order. I am very much thankful to them.”
He also pledged reforms in the academic council, the highest decision making body for academic affairs of the university, and holding the long overdue elections to the position of deans and syndicate.
Prof Anwar said three other universities -- the Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi universities -- that follow the 1973 order should hold the VC panel elections to uphold the dignity of the university law.
On July 20, the JU senate elected the panel amid agitation by a section of teachers in the first-ever VC panel polls during the tenure of the Awami League-led government.
Prof Shariff Enamul Kabir, the immediate-past VC who was forced to resign in May following protests by students and teachers, bagged the highest, 50 votes, in the polls. Incumbent VC Prof Anwar got 38 votes while Prof Nurul Alam, a physics teacher, 37 votes.
On May 17, Prof Shariff stepped down as the vice-chancellor of the university, ending months-long standoff and unrest on the campus.
Soon after his resignation, President Zillur Rahman, also the chancellor of the university, had appointed Dhaka University professor of biochemistry Anwar Hossain as the new VC for JU.
Students and teachers alleged that apart from chopping down trees over the last three years, Prof Shariff had leased out university lakes compromising the beauty of the campus.
During his tenure, he had appointed over 196 teachers, many of whom were allegedly under-qualified and selected on political consideration. The authorities under his administration had also allegedly allowed admission of 78 students under the ward-quota who even failed to obtain the pass mark in the 2011-12 session.
However, teachers and students started demanding VC Shariff's removal after the murder of English department student Zubair Ahmed by some Chhatra League activists on January 9.
Allegations were rife that those who were involved in the murder used to enjoy the VC's blessing.
On March 10, a large number of teachers and students joined the agitation. Under the banner Shikkhak Samaj agitating teachers enforced a strike on the campus while students launched a fast-unto-death programme on April 24 demanding resignation of VC Shariff.
On May 4, the teachers postponed their demonstration on assurance from the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that she would look into the matter. The day before, the premier had met the pro- and anti-VC factions at her Gono Bhaban residence to end the crisis.
Source : The Daily Star
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