DUTA's angry reaction
Saturday, 14 July 2007
Mostafa Amin
THE Dhaka University teachers, who taught and tell us that absolute power corrupts absolutely, have reacted sharply through their association against the government proposed Umbrella Act 2007 for the country's 28 public universities. Their association has branded it as a move in violation of the Public University Ordinance 1973 and as a new version of the University Ordinance 1961, which was put into effect by the then ruler Ayub Khan. It has claimed that the move to frame the umbrella act is an ill attempt of the government to control the public universities through the University Grants Commission.
As a taxpayer, I beg to disagree with the learned teachers. The Public University Ordinance 1973, which converted the Dhaka University into a democratic institution, has seen most of the university teachers formed groups in pursuit of their higher professional goals, instead of concentrating more on advancing their professional standard through studies and on teaching meticulously in the classes. As a result, many serious teachers with extra-ordinary academic distinctions to their credit have fallen behind in the race for advancement in career. The administrative standard has also deteriorated so much that the government approved university set-up, which was to regulate the staffing pattern, is no more effective. Whoever joins the university as a lecturer is ultimately elevated to become a professor without regard whether there is a vacancy at that level. The university granted two time-scales to its professors successively defying the government prescribed rules.
Many of its teachers take classes in the private universities and have been involving themselves in consultancies without obtaining administrative permission. They do not deposit one third of such income to the university fund as per normal rules. A DU teacher joined the local office of a multilateral organisation without prior permission of the university administration. Another teacher who worked in an autonomous organisation on a higher pay on deputation, on return to the university sought pay protection as if his job on deputation was his regular job. Perhaps, he has already got it.
Once a departmental chairman reportedly complained to the university administration about some teachers of his department for being irregular in taking classes. He got no co-operation from the democratically elected top boss of the university who required overwhelming group support to reach to and survive in his post.
The number of government audit objections, based on financial irregularities done in the university, once reached the highest number in the country, perhaps around 22000. It is not known whether further objections have piled up or the democratic university with the help of its syndicate has altered the audit system to avoid accountability to the government.
The only organisation in a republic, which should be truly independent, is the state itself. Other bodies must be subject to some state control, direct or indirect, through some systems. Otherwise, its components may not fit in a workable whole. How would you ensure that the house would not be divided against itself to frustrate its goal if components act in isolation without regard for the need of the whole? Education itself is no guarantee that the rule of the educated will always function well. That's why they always stress on checks and balances in any system.
THE Dhaka University teachers, who taught and tell us that absolute power corrupts absolutely, have reacted sharply through their association against the government proposed Umbrella Act 2007 for the country's 28 public universities. Their association has branded it as a move in violation of the Public University Ordinance 1973 and as a new version of the University Ordinance 1961, which was put into effect by the then ruler Ayub Khan. It has claimed that the move to frame the umbrella act is an ill attempt of the government to control the public universities through the University Grants Commission.
As a taxpayer, I beg to disagree with the learned teachers. The Public University Ordinance 1973, which converted the Dhaka University into a democratic institution, has seen most of the university teachers formed groups in pursuit of their higher professional goals, instead of concentrating more on advancing their professional standard through studies and on teaching meticulously in the classes. As a result, many serious teachers with extra-ordinary academic distinctions to their credit have fallen behind in the race for advancement in career. The administrative standard has also deteriorated so much that the government approved university set-up, which was to regulate the staffing pattern, is no more effective. Whoever joins the university as a lecturer is ultimately elevated to become a professor without regard whether there is a vacancy at that level. The university granted two time-scales to its professors successively defying the government prescribed rules.
Many of its teachers take classes in the private universities and have been involving themselves in consultancies without obtaining administrative permission. They do not deposit one third of such income to the university fund as per normal rules. A DU teacher joined the local office of a multilateral organisation without prior permission of the university administration. Another teacher who worked in an autonomous organisation on a higher pay on deputation, on return to the university sought pay protection as if his job on deputation was his regular job. Perhaps, he has already got it.
Once a departmental chairman reportedly complained to the university administration about some teachers of his department for being irregular in taking classes. He got no co-operation from the democratically elected top boss of the university who required overwhelming group support to reach to and survive in his post.
The number of government audit objections, based on financial irregularities done in the university, once reached the highest number in the country, perhaps around 22000. It is not known whether further objections have piled up or the democratic university with the help of its syndicate has altered the audit system to avoid accountability to the government.
The only organisation in a republic, which should be truly independent, is the state itself. Other bodies must be subject to some state control, direct or indirect, through some systems. Otherwise, its components may not fit in a workable whole. How would you ensure that the house would not be divided against itself to frustrate its goal if components act in isolation without regard for the need of the whole? Education itself is no guarantee that the rule of the educated will always function well. That's why they always stress on checks and balances in any system.