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After a lengthy investigation and public hearing, the committee found evidence of various irregularities in the administration led by Professor M Abdus Sobhan, Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University. The University Scholarship Commission (UGC) presented its investigative report to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Education and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday.
Convener of the research committee and member professor of the UGC (Public University). Dil Afroza Begum told Kaler Kanth: ‘We have already submitted the investigation report to the Ministry of Education. However, it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to take action in this regard.
The additional secretary (University) of the Ministry of Education, Belayet Hossain Talukder, said that he had not yet received the investigation report. According to reliable sources, the investigation report has been presented to the Minister of Education through the president of the UGC.
According to relevant sources, the investigation committee has found evidence of various complaints against the administration headed by the rector, among them, embezzlement of university money, nepotism, hiring of teachers in exchange for money. Such actions have severely tarnished the image of a high-ranking official like the Vice Chancellor. For this reason, the committee has suggested taking the necessary measures with regard to the vice chancellor. They said that the corresponding authorities must take immediate measures to stop these immoral activities of the vice-rector. So that the general educational and research environment of this old and traditional institution of higher education is achieved. In addition, it has also been recommended to cancel the appointment of 34 people who were hired due to the policy change.
The Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University, M Abdus Sobhan, and his administration are known to downgrade grades by intentionally changing the teacher hiring policy. As a result, the vice-chancellor’s daughter and son-in-law became university professors with low qualifications. In this way, excluding qualified candidates, 34 less qualified candidates have been appointed as professors. Those who did not qualify to apply under the above policy. UGC research has found that some of those accusations against Rajshahi University are true.
The UGC investigation committee conducted the investigation in various ways, including the public hearing. However, the vice chancellor did not appear for the public hearing, but in a letter to the president of the UGC, the vice chancellor questioned the authority of the UGC to form an investigative committee against him.
Abdus Sobhan has served as Vice Chancellor for a second term since May 2016. He was also accused of irregularities in the first term (2009-2013).
The vice chancellor reduced the degree by changing the university’s faculty hiring policy in 2016. Under the previous policy, the minimum eligibility for the application was first class or equivalent grade at all four levels, from SSC to graduate. In addition to the bachelor’s (honors) and postgraduate degrees in the department’s merit rank in first to seventh position. Under the revised policy, the CGPA for undergraduate and graduate students has been lowered to 3.25 and the merit condition has also been removed.
The research committee said that due to the change in policy, eligibility for the appointment of teachers at Rajshahi University is now the lowest among the four autonomous universities (Dhaka, Jahangirnagar, Chittagong and Rajshahi University) under the 1973 ordinance. The sole purpose of reducing eligibility is to open the way for the recruitment of those who were not eligible to apply prior to 2016.
On this occasion, Sanjana Sobhan, daughter of the Vice Chancellor, who passed from the Marketing Department, was appointed to the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management and her son-in-law, ATM Shahid Parvez, was appointed to the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). In addition, the recently created Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management is usually the first to accept candidates who have passed the Tourism and Hospitality Management course. But instead, the appointment of professors in marketing and management was notified. Through this the daughter of the vice-rector was named.
Apart from this, two less qualified candidates are appointed, excluding those who are first in various faculties, obtain the PM gold medal, have first division or class from SSC to postgraduate. Another allegation against the rector is that after leaving the house that was assigned to him, he left the house previously assigned on paper, but kept it in his possession for about a year and a half to put away the furniture. The committee has also understood the truth about this.
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