Several public universities in the country are facing a severe teacher shortage. In some universities, departments are running with only one lecturer, while in some other departments, there are only two teachers. This information has been confirmed by checking the websites of the concerned universities. The teacher shortage has created complications in academic activities. The loss of students in the new department is more than in the others. Therefore, they demand that the concerned government department take necessary steps to resolve this crisis.
According to the Registrar’s Office of Rajshahi University (RU), the university currently has 398 vacant posts against 1,490 teaching posts. That is 26.71 percent of the total posts. Many of the working teachers are on educational leave. However, after a long ban, 13 teachers were appointed in several departments facing a ‘severe crisis’ last March. Notifications for the appointment of teachers in several more departments have been published.
In December 2020, the Ministry of Education banned all types of recruitment at RU due to allegations of irregularities and corruption against the administration in the recruitment process. However, in defiance of that ban, the then Vice-Chancellor, Professor M Abdus Sobhan, on his last working day in 2021, appointed 138 people on an ad hoc basis to the posts of teachers, officers, and employees and left the campus. Later, the court issued a stay on the joining of the appointees. As a result, they could not join again. After another round of bans, the ministry lifted the recruitment ban in June last year. The July Movement and the subsequent arrival of a new administration at the university delayed the start of the recruitment process. As a result, there has been a teacher crisis at RU due to the lack of recruitment activities for almost six years.
The university’s relatively new departments are facing a severe teacher shortage. Some departments are running academic activities with two permanent teachers and teachers from other departments (guest teachers). The Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, which was launched a decade ago, does not have a single permanent teacher. This department has been running with guest teachers or part-time teachers since the 2015-16 academic year. In addition, there are only two associate professors in the Department of Law and Land Administration.
Regarding the matter, Rajshahi University Registrar Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud told Bonik Barta, “Teachers have not been appointed due to the long-standing ban on appointment. Many of them have retired, while many are on educational leave. As a result, there has been a teacher crisis in the university. Recruitment notices have been issued in several departments according to the new policy for teacher recruitment. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also been informed of the matter. To avoid stagnation in the academic activities of the university, qualified and meritorious teachers will be appointed as teachers in the departments on a priority basis. Earlier, there were allegations of various irregularities in the appointment of teachers. We will give place to only the qualified ones.”
According to UGC, there are 55 public universities in the country. Of these, Meherpur University and Naogaon University have not yet started academic activities. Meherpur University was approved in 2022, and the following year, Rajshahi University teacher, Professor Rabiul Islam, was appointed as the vice-chancellor of the university. However, after the political change, Professor Shaikh Bokhtear Uddin was appointed as the new vice-chancellor of the university. In 2023, approval was given to establish a university in Naogaon under the name ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University, Naogaon’. However, after the change of scene on August 5, its name was changed to ‘Naogaon University’. In October last year, Rajshahi University teacher, Professor Dr. Hasanath Ali, was appointed as the vice-chancellor of the university.
Analysis of data from various universities shows that the number of students at the newest Habiganj Agricultural University is only 215. There are only 45 teachers for 33 departments under five faculties. However, due to the large number of departments, several of them have only one lecturer each, while some have just two teachers. There is only one teacher each in the departments of Microbiology and Veterinary Public Health, Pathology and Parasitology, Aquaculture (aquatic farming), Aquatic Animal Health Management, Fisheries Genetics and Reproduction, Fisheries Technology and Quality Control, Soil Science, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Genetics and Plant Reproduction, Agricultural Extension and Entrepreneurship Development, Agroforestry, Environmental Science, Haor and Hill Agriculture, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Mechanization, Computer Science, Biochemistry, Rural Sociology, Biostatistics, Animal Science, English and Bengali. And there are two teachers each in the Department of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Animal Nutrition, Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Aquatic Resources Management and Conservation, Department of Fisheries Biology and Biodiversity, Department of Oceanography and Blue Economy, Department of Horticulture, Department of Crop Botany, and Department of Agronomy.
Several departments in Khulna Agricultural University are also running with one or two teachers. However, guest teachers are being used to complete the courses. The university’s departments of Pathology, Genetics and Animal Breeding, Dairy Science, Medicine, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Fisheries Technology and Quality Control, Fisheries Health Management, Language and Communication Studies, Computer Science and Engineering have only one lecturer each. In addition, there are three teachers each in the Department of Anatomy and Histology, the Department of Psychology, and the Department of Poultry Science. There are two lecturers each in the Department of Parasitology, the Department of Oceanography, the Department of Agricultural Statistics, the Department of Mathematics, and the Department of Physics. There are three teachers each in the Department of Agricultural Finance, Cooperatives and Banking, and four teachers each in the Department of Horticulture, Crop Botany, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Department of Agricultural Chemistry. However, there are three lecturers in the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics, but one of them is on academic leave.
There are two assistant professors in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Rangamati University of Science and Technology. There are four assistant professors in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science. There are six teachers in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Netrokona University. One of them is on academic leave.
There are three lecturers and one assistant professor in the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department of Jamalpur University of Science and Technology. There are three teachers in the Geology Department. There are three teachers in the Computer Science and Engineering Department of Chandpur University of Science and Technology, which started its educational activities from the 2021-22 academic year. There are three lecturers in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department. There are three lecturers in the Business Administration Department.
Kurigram Agricultural University has started its journey with 80 students. However, no information about the teachers was found on the university’s website. According to the university’s website, 33 departments have been approved under two faculties.
There are four lecturers in the Physics Department, four lecturers in Chemistry, and three lecturers in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Sunamganj University of Science and Technology.
Activities are underway in the departments of Statistics, Mathematics, Psychology, and Computer Science and Engineering of Pirojpur University of Science and Technology with four teachers each.
Regarding the teacher shortage, Habiganj Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Professor Syed Sayeem Uddin Ahmed told Bonik Barta, “The number of teachers is right compared to the number of students. However, the number of teachers in the department is negligible. It is difficult to run a department with one or two teachers. That is why we are running the program with part-time teachers approved by the UGC. Our university is relatively new, and most departments are taught by lecturers. There are some differences in the teaching and research skills of senior teachers and new teachers. However, once a course is launched and students are admitted, it cannot be stopped. That is why we have to deal with some crises.”
Regarding the launch of 33 departments despite the low number of students, he said, “There is some difference between agricultural universities and general universities. One subject in an agricultural university has an inter-relationship with others. That is why these departments were necessary. That is why the administration at that time launched them.”
Regarding the inability to start academic activities yet, Naogaon University Vice Chancellor Professor Md Hasanath Ali told Bonik Barta, “The ministry has approved the 50-year master plan of this university. Currently, administrative activities are going on in the rented campus. A place has been decided for the permanent campus. Land will be acquired through the district administration. We have written to the UGC three times seeking permission to conduct academic activities. We have not received approval yet. However, we are optimistic that we will be able to admit students from the next academic year. Many universities are conducting academic activities in rented campuses. We are also hoping to get permission to operate.”
However, if a department needs a teacher, the universities concerned can appoint them, UGC Chairman Professor SMA Fayez told Bonik Barta, “The universities will decide on the appointment. If a department feels the need to hire a teacher if the post is vacant, the authorities will take the initiative to appoint him as per the rules of that university.”
Educationists say that students suffer if a department is run by one or two teachers. Therefore, the government must take action in this regard.
Professor Abdus Salam, a teacher at the Institute of Education and Research of Dhaka University, told Bonik Barta, “Many universities in the country have been established for political reasons. Whether they are needed or can produce skilled human resources has not been taken into consideration. As a result, universities that do not have permanent campuses are also admitting students after getting approval. It is time to assess whether all universities and all departments are needed. The government has to do this.”
He added, “How does the department run with one or two teachers? The question remains as to how the courses are being completed and what the students are learning. It is important to take practical steps in this regard.”