CU teacher Maidul ‘denied’ leave for research scholarship
A Chittagong University (CU) teacher has alleged that he is being denied leave for a yearlong research scholarship in the Netherlands, due to lack of cooperation from his department.
On September 4, Maidul Islam, an assistant professor of sociology of the university applied for “Extra Ordinary Leave” for one year -- from September 15, 2019 to September 15, 2020 -- to work as a researcher at Leiden University, Netherlands.
Though 12 days have elapsed, he was yet to get any response from the department as well as the registrar’s office, which usually takes maximum seven working days, said Maidul.
Meanwhile, the Leiden University authorities have been repeatedly asking him to attend the session, as the academic session have already started on September 1, the teacher added.
“When I went to meet the department chair Prof Parvin Sultana, she pointed out that it is the registrar who is not responding to her letter about the leave,” said Maidul, adding that the registrar directed him to the chairperson when he went to him asking about it.
Prof Parvin Sultana sent a letter to CU Registrar KM Nur Ahmed, seeking his permission to hold a planning committee meeting for Maidul’s leave on September 5.
“When I went to meet the department chairperson yesterday, she further said that she was yet to get response from the registrar,” Maidul said, adding that the chairperson also said that she would not able to do anything if she did not get letter from registrar in this regard.
The registrar, meanwhile, told this newspaper that the chairperson is the head of the planning committee, and she does not require permission from the registrar to hold a planning committee meeting.
“It is out of my purview to give permission in writing. That is why I verbally told her to hold the meeting. I cannot do anything more,” he said.
Prof Parvin Sultana yesterday told Bangla daily Prothom Alo that she had already sent two letters to registrar in this regard but was yet to get any response. Terming it their “internal issue”, she refused to comment further.
This correspondent tried to contact her for the last couple of days, but she did not respond to phone calls or text messages.
Maidul alleged that some senior teachers of the department do not want to see him to attend the scholarship. “That is why they are dillydallying, to linger my leave,” he said.
Contacted, CU acting vice chancellor Prof Shireen Akhter said if the planning committee of the department does not approve the leave, she had nothing to do in this regard.
Maidul Islam was sued in July last year under section 57 of the ICT Act, for making “defamatory remarks on social media against the prime minister”. He was sent to jail in the case on September 24, 2018, and was freed on bail more than a month later. Last month, the High Court stayed the trial proceedings of the case.
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