Barred from classroom, Dhaka University teacher offers lessons in economics on the stairway

Dhaka University economics teacher Rushad Faridi has taken a class on the staircase as the authorities did not let him return to classes despite a court order.

Dhaka University Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Dec 2019, 02:04 PM
Updated : 1 Dec 2019, 02:39 PM

The assistant professor took the class on the staircase of the social sciences faculty building on Sunday.

More than 50 students of different departments took part in the class.

“As I am barred from returning to the classes, I took the class in a show of protest in response to the students’ call,” Rushad told bdnews24.com.

“The students enjoyed the class. I will continue doing so if they want,” he added.

The university in July, 2017 sent him on forced leave on charges of “being rude which was unbecoming of a teacher” with his colleagues.  

The High Court on Aug 25 this year declared the university syndicate order illegal and asked him to join the department.

He stood outside the office of Prof Shafique uz Zaman, chairman of the department, last Tuesday carrying a placard to demand that he be allowed to return to classes.

Rushad believes he is barred from taking classes due to the “lack of cooperation and goodwill of some of his colleagues”.

The authorities were barring him on the “excuse” that the full court verdict was yet to be released, he said.

Chairman Shafique issued a statement after the department discussed the issue last Thursday.

He said the department came to know about the verdict through a lawyer for Rushad, but was yet to receive a copy of the judgement.

Vice-Chancellor Md Akhtaruzzaman wants the department to take next steps after receiving the copy of the verdict, Shafique said.

“In this circumstance, the Department of Economics hereby states that the responsibility of reinstating Dr Rushad Faridi is upon the university authorities, not the department. The department will take the next step following the university authorities’ instructions,” the statement said.