Kuet teachers on 3-day work stoppage

Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) teachers' association went on a three-day work stoppage yesterday demanding demolition of memorial erected in front of Khanjahan Ali residential hall.
Named after a student on political consideration, the teachers protested the move as the deceased had a questionable background.
The teachers threatened to resign from their posts en mass if the demand is not met by tomorrow (November 24).
The decision to go on three-day work stoppage and resign from their posts was taken at an emergency meeting of Kuet Teachers' Association on Monday with its president Professor Dr Mohammad Arif Hossain in the chair.
Earlier on November 2, the teachers association urged vice chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Alamgir not to erect the memorial after the name of a student having a dirty story behind his death.
Three deans, 13 departmental heads, four directors, six provosts are among the teachers who joined the work stoppage programme. They are abstaining from any administrative work in protest against erection of the memorial.
The memorial, reportedly constructed with fund of the university, has been named after Ahsanullah Bhuiyan Mehedi who died on November 22 last year at a hotel in Kushtia district due to excessive drinking. He was president of Kuet unit of Chhatra League and allegedly involved in activities detrimental to the image of the university, said a spokesman of the association.
The authorities also used an amount donated by general students for erecting the memorial, claimed a student leader of the university on condition of anonymity.
President of the teachers' association told this correspondent that they will have to go for a tougher programme in addition to resignation by teachers if the university authorities insist on keeping the memorial intact ignoring all protests and objections.
Contacted, the VC told this correspondent yesterday that the memorial is being built with the money donated by the general students.
He said he did not see anything wrong in it as it was their (general students) demand.
He also termed the protest by the teachers as 'unfortunate.'