Search committee formed after posts already filled

The government has decided to form a search committee to recommend vice-chancellors, pro-VCs, and treasurers for public universities. But educationists are criticising the timing and intent of the move as most of these top positions in at least 47 universities have already been filled.

However, some experts have welcomed the move as "better late than never".

The education ministry's secondary and higher education division issued a notification on Sunday, stating that the committee will review applications and propose three names for each post. The president, who also serves as the chancellor of public universities, will make the final appointments.

The committee, headed by Education Adviser Prof CR Abrar, includes University Grants Commission (UGC) members Prof Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan and Prof Md Saidur Rahman, Rajshahi University VC Prof Saleh Hasan Naqib, and BRAC University Prof Firdous Azim.

The University Wing of the education ministry's division will serve as its secretariat.

Former Jahangirnagar University Professor Anu Muhammad said forming a committee alone does not guarantee fair appointments or improved university governance.

"It depends entirely on who is appointed and how responsibly they perform their duties. Without committed and objective members, a committee serves little purpose," he said.

He added that the committee should now also evaluate the performance of existing appointees and recommend corrective measures where necessary.

He called for a comprehensive review of recruitment practices at all public universities, stressing that many governance crises stem from politically motivated or unqualified appointments.

He also said four universities under autonomous systems have their own recruitment procedures. Now it is essential to establish a uniform policy and permanent governance framework for all universities. In the absence of an Education Commission, the UGC should take this responsibility, he added.

"Like its predecessors, this interim government acts only after unrest breaks out. Problems should be addressed when first raised, not after road blockades and demonstrations."

He suggested that the search committee or a separate body under the UGC should evaluate current leadership across universities and take steps to prevent further governance failures.

Meanwhile, a former UGC member questioned the committee's mandate, given that appointments have already been made at over 45 public universities.

He said in 2007, a caretaker government formed a similar search committee to appoint VCs to universities outside the four governed by the University Ordinance 1973 -- Dhaka, Rajshahi, Jahangirnagar, and Chittagong. That initiative became ineffective after the Awami League came to power in 2009.

The UGC's "Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2006–2026" also flagged the existing VC appointment system as vulnerable to political interference and recommended a legally empowered national search committee.

Similarly, the Education Commission (2003), led by Prof Mohammad Moniruzzaman Miah, proposed that such a committee be headed by the chief justice or a nominated judge, alongside academics and key officials from the PSC and UGC.

Contacted, Nurun Akhtar, additional secretary (university) of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, said the committee would operate according to the responsibilities outlined in the official notification.

Asked about its relevance at this stage, she said, "They will work for future appointments, if necessary."

She declined to comment on whether it would have been more appropriate to form the committee before the latest round of appointments.

Efforts to reach Education Adviser Prof CR Abrar and Senior Secretary Siddique Zobair for comments were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to repeated phone calls.