Sharifa’s Story: BRAC University clarifies reason for Asif’s sacking

The university believes in equal rights and opportunities for every single human being to realise their potential, the statement reads

BRAC University has issued a statement clarifying the reason for the sacking of part-time teacher Asif Mahtab Utsha, who came to the limelight after tearing up pages containing a lesson on the third gender community in the history and social science textbook for Class VII.

“The recent act of tearing pages out of a textbook published by the government and asking others to do the same in a public forum is an act of vandalism, a behaviour not supported by BRAC University,” the statement issued by the institution said on Monday.

Asif tore up the pages containing the lesson ‘The Story of Sharifa’ in the chapter on similarities and differences between people in the book during a discussion on the new curriculum in Dhaka on Jan 19. A video of the incident was widely shared on social media.

The story represents the lives of people from the ‘hijra and third gender’ community but Asif claimed that the inclusion of the tale on transgender people in the textbook would promote ‘homosexuality’, tearing up the pages and urging others to do so.

Amid the debate sparked by the matter on social media, BRAC University said it no longer has a contract with Asif as of Jan 20. A group of students launched a demonstration in support of Asif afterwards. The education ministry also formed a five-member committee to review the lesson.

The university did not explain the reason for not renewing the contract with Asif at that time but clarified the issue in Monday’s statement.

“BRAC University believes, like all great institutions of higher education, its role should be to create space for all views to be discussed and debated constructively, predicated on tolerance and respect. It considers any act of vandalism towards national property as unacceptable behaviour and does not tolerate or support such activities.”

Stating the act of tearing a textbook in public as ‘non-facilitating teacher behaviour’, the university said, “The university, therefore, cannot offer a part-time teaching contract to Asif for the Spring 2024 semester. However, the University will compensate him for his time and efforts towards his preparatory work.”

“BRAC University respects and fully complies with the country's Constitution and laws on all matters. Accordingly, it does not promote homosexuality as has been alleged by some quarters in various social media content,” the statement read.

The university believes in equal rights and opportunities for every single human being to realise their potential, it added.