Education boss steps in to end Buet crisis

Anti-VC agitators of Buet at the gate of Dhaka University central playground yesterday vow to continue their movement until their demands are met. Photo: Palash Khan

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid sits with the “just resigned” deans and department heads of Buet today to discuss a possible solution to the ongoing crisis at the university.
He has also invited two former vice-chancellors and five ex-students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology for the meeting to be held at the ministry's conference room at 12 noon.
Teachers, students and employees of Buet began a sit-in at the administrative building on Wednesday to press home their demands, which include the resignation of the vice-chancellor and his deputy. The heads of all faculties, institutes and departments of Buet resigned en masse the same day.
The VC is yet to initiate any talks with the demonstrators despite the prime minister's call for a dialogue.
The agitating teachers said they had no objection to going for talks with the minister, but there would be no compromise on their main demand -- the resignation of the two top administration bosses.
Yesterday, as the sit-in stepped into a fifth straight day, over a thousand anti-VC protesters marched in a silent procession towards Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, around 11:00am to submit a memorandum SEEKING removal of the vice-chancellor and the pro-VC.
But police obstructed them near Doyel Chattar around 11:30am.
A four-member delegation, led by Buet Teachers Association President Prof Mujibur Rahman, went to Bangabhaban and submitted a memorandum seeking removal of the VC and the pro-VC.
Gathered at the gate of Dhaka University central playground, the agitators vowed to continue their protests until their demands were met.
MINISTER'S BRIEFING
The education minister yesterday sat with University Grants Commission Chairman Prof AK Azad Chowdhury and Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury to discuss the Buet crisis.
For today's meeting, he has invited the university's deans and department heads, ex-Buet VCs Abdul Matin and MH Khan and some other dignitaries like Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, Prof Ainun Nishat, Mir Mobassher Ali, Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda and Abul Kashem.
"We will discuss with them openly and, hopefully, there will be a solution," Nahid said.
Asked why he had not invited the teachers association, he said the association was not involved with the administration.
Besides, the association has said it will not sit with anyone other than the president and prime minister. "So we don't want to embarrass our teachers by inviting them."
When his attention was drawn to the stepping down of the deans and department heads, the minister said their resignations had not been accepted.
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION BRIEFING
After the advisory committee's meeting in the evening, Prof Mujibur Rahman, the association chief, told reporters that there was no reason for not joining the talks.
"We have no objection to attending the discussion. But we haven't got the invitation yet," he said. "We will stick to our demand."
Prof Ashraful Islam said apart from continuing the sit-in, they would hold a two-hour token hunger strike from 11:00am today and hold a general meeting of the association to fix the next course of action.
Also yesterday, some teachers, students and employees rallied in front of the university's cafeteria and brought out a silent procession on the campus, urging the agitators to call off the sit-in.
They alleged Jamaat-Shibir members are active in demonstrations led by the teachers association.