Investigate dubious CU recruitments

It is deeply concerning that even after repeated allegations and reports of administrative misconduct, particularly regarding recruitment of employees flouting proper procedures, the recently retired vice chancellor of Chittagong University recruited 37 employees on her last day in office without any advertisements or recruitment tests. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had imposed a ban on recruiting staff on an ad-hoc, daily-wage basis, and on a master roll, without prior approval. And these conditions were put in place for good reasons. Despite this, the former CU VC recruited a total of 172 employees during her tenure, violating most of these regulations, according to a report by this daily.

The recruitments made by the former VC are riddled with anomalies. Allegations exist of lobbying for appointments in exchange for money, with a leaked phone call from 2022 citing specific figures: Tk 16 lakh for a teaching position and Tk 12 lakh in exchange of a third-class employee position. Most of the recruits are reportedly affiliated with the ruling political party, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, and/or residents of areas near the university. And recently, a faction of CU BCL reportedly attacked a new recruit and threatened the registrar, questioning the presence of new recruits not affiliated with BCL and alleging that their recruitment involved money. This raises questions about the motives behind these rushed recruitments at the last minute without proper assessments or any declared need for additional manpower.

The former VC's tenure has sadly been marred by controversies. Under her administration, CU reportedly became a breeding ground for violence, primarily inflicted by those affiliated with the ruling party. Protests also erupted from both teachers and students against alleged misappropriation of funds and unjustified recruitments.

Given the sheer number of serious allegations of irregularities that have been made against the former CU VC and her administration, the authorities need to conduct a prompt, transparent, and thorough investigation into them. In that regard, it is commendable that the UGC and the university syndicate have voiced commitment to investigate the matter, and we hope that this will be followed through properly.