JU gets first female VC

In an unprecedented move, the President has appointed Farzana Islam Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University (JU).

She is the first woman to hold the top post in a public university in Bangladesh.

Islam, a professor in the university’s Department of Anthropology, will serve for the next four years.

President Md Abdul Hamid chose her from the 3-member panel, which was elected by the university senate. He also appointed Prof Abul Hossain of physics department as pro-vice chancellor.

An order from the education Ministry on Sunday also relieved acting VC Prof MA Matin of his responsibilities.

Farzana Islam

Farzana said, “I have been given the charge. I will try to build this as a beautiful university rising above all parties and opinions.”

Ministry of Education spokesperson Subodh Chandra Dhali told bdnews24.com: “This is the first time a woman has been given the appointment of a public university as vice chancellor in the country.”

Earlier, former President Iajuddin Ahmed’s wife, Prof Anwara Begum, had been appointed vice chancellor of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology (ADUST), a private university.

Prof Farzana is taking over the responsibility against a turbulent backdrop which repeatedly hampered the university’s academic activities over the past two years.

The turbulence followed the appointment of Prof Anwar Hossain as vice chancellor.

Hossain was forced to resign on Jan 13 barely a year after he assumed the office in the face of strong opposition from a section of the university teachers.

Farzana did her post graduation in sociology from Dhaka University in 1980 and joined Chittagong University as a lecturer of the sociology department in 1982.

In 1986, she joined the anthropology department of Jahangirnagar University and subsequently became its chairperson.

She did her PhD from Sussex University of the UK in 2001.

Besides, she is currently the Chairperson of Nagarik Udyog, a non-government organisation.

She was born in Bhedorganj Upazila of Shariatpur district in 1957.