DU moves to get back money from teachers

The Dhaka University (DU) is going to take initiatives to have its Tk 1.80 crore returned, which a number of teachers owe the university authorities. The teachers took loans from the university for education abroad but did not return the money or join their jobs afterwards.
"We have already started the process of getting back the money; if we do not get response soon, we would go for all possible steps to get the money back," Vice-chancellor Prof SMA Faiz said.
As many as 102 DU teachers who went abroad on study leave owe Tk 1.80 crore to the university as they have never returned or repaid the loan taken before leaving the country for higher studies.
University sources said 110 teachers since 1971 did not return to their jobs after the expiry of the four-year-long study leave.
All of them either resigned or were sacked by the university. Only eight repaid the loan of around Tk 16.14 lakh.
Prof Faiz said the authorities on October 31 held a meeting to find out ways to get back the money and made a set of decisions.
Letters will be issued to the departments and institutes concerned asking for the defaulters' whereabouts so that they can be contacted.
The authorities may also contact Bangladesh embassies or high commissions in this connection. A list of the defaulting teachers will also be posted on the university website soon so that they learn about their debts.
Asked about management department teacher Mishkat Uddin who had gone to the US for higher studies and made no contact for a few years but recently joined North South University, the VC said the authorities have already sent a letter to his address. In the next meeting, this issue will be settled, he said.
A follow-up meeting will be held by the end of the third week of this month.
On whether authorities are going to sue the defaulters, he said the issue would be placed before the Syndicate for a decision.
The VC said they are hopeful the teachers will repay their loans if they are asked to.
The university authorities do not know the whereabouts of most of these loan defaulters.
Sources said 71 of these teachers are from the science faculties, five from the Arts faculty, 14 from Social Science faculty, two from the Law faculty, nine from Business Studies faculty and four from the Institute of Business Studies.
Among the defaulters, three are professors, 66 lecturers and the rest are assistant professors, university sources said.
Of the teachers of sciences faculties, 10 are from biochemistry and molecular biology department, nine each from applied physics and electronics, and chemistry departments, one from mathematics, five from physics, three from applied chemistry, four from applied chemistry and chemical technology, one from computer science and engineering, five from geography and environment, three from geology, five from statistics, two from applied statistics, six from microbiology, five from psychology and one from soil, water and environment department.
Nahida Banu, lecturer in biochemistry and molecular biology, was due to return to her job on April 1, 1994. The authorities have terminated her job as she did not respond to letters sent to her asking her to return. She owes Tk 3.5 lakh to the university.
Management department teacher Mishkat Uddin was fired. He owes over Tk 1 lakh.
Chemistry teacher Abul Khair Khan took Tk 1.6 lakh and was due to return to the university on July 1, 2001.
Md Salauddin of Bangla took Tk 3.12 lakh, Faiza Sultana and Sudhir Shyamol Chowdhury of English Tk 4 lakh and Tk 1.44 lakh, Abul Fazal Md Fazle Rabbi and Monjushri Bonik of information science and library management Tk 2.35 lakh and Tk 2.14 lakh, Saida Zakia Hossain and Kawsar Kibria of sociology took Tk 1.84 lakh and Tk 2.54 lakh.
Mohammad Selim, Jahanara Begum, Dr Monsurul Alam Khan, Soumi Mostafa and AKM Mahbub Morshed of economics owe Tk 1.95 lakh, Tk 1.41 lakh, Tk 2.78 lakh, Tk 1.82 lakh, and Tk 2.69 lakh.
Saira Khan and Muna Hossain of international relations owe Tk 2.15 lakh and Tk 1.11 lakh.
M Nurul Hossain of mass communications and journalism took Tk 1.11 lakh. Authorities' loan to Md Shamsher Ali of Institute of Social Welfare and Research is Tk 1.03 lakh.
According to the university rules, an eligible teacher can go abroad for higher education with up to four years' study leave. During the study leave, he or she is entitled to receive salary and other allowances from the university.
Sources said the defaulters each had signed a bond before taking the loan that they would pay the money back if they decided to stay abroad.