Interim government’s first month: Education sector yet to settle down

“The unrest in education institutions has subsided and we’re taking the necessary measures to return the situation to normal,” an education secretary says

A month since the interim government took power, educational institutions in the country have yet to overcome the disruptions that started with the quota reform movement and ended in a mass uprising that overthrew Sheikh Hasina.

Like officials in other important public and private posts, many people at educational institutions, including vice chancellors, have resigned since the changeover. Many of them had to step down due to demands from the students. Although new appointments have begun coming in, many posts in the secondary and higher secondary level are still vacant.

Educational institutions reopened on Aug 18 but student attendance was low. The interim government is working to restore normalcy in academic and other activities.

“The unrest in education institutions has subsided and we’re taking the necessary measures to bring the situation to normal,” said Senior Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid of the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED).

The interim government, which pledged to bring reforms, has vowed to bring changes in the education system as well. The National Curriculum introduced by the Awami League government will make way for the old system once more. There will be changes in the learning and evaluation system for secondary students as well.

UNIVERSITIES WITH ADMINISTRATIVE VACANCIES

After the Awami League government fell, most of the vice-chancellors in the public universities, who were appointed during the party’s rule, resigned in the face of the students' demands.

The government started to appoint VCs and pro-VCs to the vacant posts but 30 universities have yet to get their VCs, said Senior Secretary Rashid.

"We have managed to resume the financial tasks, but we must have VCs to run the academic activities. [Those appointments] are being processed, but we can't say in advance how long it will take," he said.

A student-led movement aiming to bring reforms in the quota system in government jobs started in July and turned into a mass movement to topple the government. As the protests intensified and violence spread across the country, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India on Aug 5. The interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus took their oaths of office on Aug 8.

The protesters demanded the Dhaka University proctorial body’s resignations as they 'failed to provide security to the students ' during the movement. Accordingly, the proctorial body resigned on Aug 8.

On Aug 10, Vice-Chancellor Prof ASM Maksud Kamal also resigned. Then on Sept 2, the education ministry removed Prof Muhammad Samad from the post of pro-vice chancellor.

Arts Faculty Dean Prof Abdul Basir and Fine Arts Faculty Dean Prof Nisar Hossain also resigned from their posts.

In addition, the provosts of Ruqayyah Hall, Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, Shamsun Nahar Hall, Bijoy Ekattor Hall, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Shahid Sergeant Zahurul Huq Hall, and Salimullah Muslim Hall at Dhaka University also resigned.

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Vice Chancellor Prof Fariduddin Ahmed stepped down on Aug 10. National University vice-chancellor Prof Moshiur Rahman also resigned.

Amid the protests by the Jagannath University coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and other students, Jagannath University Vice Chancellor Sadeka Halim, the acting registrar and the proctorial body had to step down. The students had set a deadline of 24 hours for their resignations.

Since Sadeka Halim resigned, Jagannath University remained without a vice-chancellor. The teachers and students of the university demanded the vice-chancellor should be selected from the institution itself.

On Aug 18, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Vice-Chancellor Satya Prasad Majumdar resigned.

When asked about the overall situation in the universities, Prof SMA Faiz, new chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) said he hoped that proper measures would be taken soon.

Meanwhile, Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan of the Development Studies Department at Dhaka University has been appointed as its new vice-chancellor. Sayema Haque Bidisha of the Economics Department has been appointed as the pro-vice chancellor (administration), while Finance Department Chairman Prof Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury was chosen as the treasurer. A new proctor has been appointed as well.

New vice-chancellors were also appointed at Rajshahi University, Jahangirnagar University, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University, Noakhali University of Engineering and Technology, and National University.

CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL BODIES

With the changes in the state, heads of educational bodies have also stepped down.

UGC Chairman Prof Kazi Shahidullah sent his resignation letter from Australia on Aug 11, citing health reasons. On Aug 19, National Curriculum and Textbook Board Chairman Prof Farhadul Islam stepped down. Two days later, Nehal Ahmed, director general of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, submitted his resignation to the education ministry.

After the Awami League government was toppled, acting UGC Chairman Prof Muhammed Alamgir and other UGC members could not attend their offices due to protests. Students, teachers and staff members of different engineering universities gathered under the banner of the Anti-discrimination Engineer Society and staged protests demanding their resignations.

Meanwhile, on Sept 5, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University and ex-PSC chairman Prof SMA Faiz was appointed to head the University Grants Commission. Md Fakhrul Islam, director of the Research Support and Publication Department, was chosen as the UGC secretary. Former UGC secretary Ferdous Zaman was transferred from his post and made the director of the Research Support and Publication Department.

Earlier on Aug 25, ABM Rezaul Karim was given the responsibility of acting director general of SHED. Prof AKM Riazul Hasan became the NCTB chairman on Aug 31.

FORCED TO RESIGN

In many educational institutions, teachers were forced to resign after the fall of the Awami League government. The students pressured them to sign the resignation letters.

Such incidents are detrimental to the environment of educational institutions, according to many students and parents.

Principal Nurul Islam, a teacher in Naogaon fell unconscious when students and protesters put pressure on him to resign on Aug 28. He was given first aid at a local hospital then admitted to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Later he was shifted to Dhaka for advanced treatment.

The protesters demanded Nurul Islam’s resignation citing ‘irregularities’ in appointments of teachers and staff. The school management committee chief and Upazila Nirbahi officer held an arbitration meeting, reaching a compromise. But the next day a group of students surrounded Nurul and reportedly assaulted him physically. He was forced to sign the resignation letter. At one point he pressed his chest and lay down. He was then removed from the scene.

Students at Saltha Upazila in Faridpur allegedly beat a principal with a hammer and made him sign a resignation letter. The incident occurred at Jadundi Nabakam Palli College on Sept 5.

On the same day, the headmaster at a girls’ high school in Cumilla’s Muradnagar was allegedly forced to sign resignation letter. A video of the incident went viral on social media.

Protesters demanded the resignation of Mirpur Bangla School and College principal on Aug 24.

“Many parents have barred the students from coming to the school for these reasons. Half of the students remain absent. We can’t concentrate on our studies as the environment is not appropriate,” said a seventh grader of the school.

A student in grade four in the same school said that not all students have returned to the school due to these reasons.

Dhaka University Teachers Association General Secretary Prof Zinat Huda raised a complaint of students harassing teachers amid the situation after the fall of the government. She complained that teachers were forced to resign and said she wrote to Law Advisor Asif Nazrul on WhatsApp seeking a resolution to the situation on Aug 21.

Education Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud called for an end to protesters forcing teachers to resign and similar harassment.

“Teachers are being forced to resign and also harassed at various educational institutions in the country, which isn’t acceptable at all. Everyone should refrain from doing such acts,” he said on Sept 3.

However, such incidents were reported even after the education advisor called for an end to them.

SHED Senior Secretary Rashid said the number of such incidents has dropped, but still continues.

“People must seek support from the local administration. We have alerted everyone. Centrally, we can’t reach everywhere. We hope such incidents will decrease.”

CHANGES IN EDUCATION SYSTEM

The secondary education system will face an overhaul after the fall of the Awami League government. The three education streams - science, humanities and business studies will return. The evaluation system will be like that of the National Curriculum-2012, a SHED circular on Sept 1 signed by Deputy Secretary Rahima Akter said.

The education ministry said that the National Curriculum-2022 was not ‘fit to be implemented’ due to various problems. The ministry cited ‘lack of teachers’ preparation, confusion and negativity over the syllabus and evaluation system, and ‘lack of institutional capacity’ as the reasons for not implementing the curriculum.

The government decided to change and overhaul the curriculum and the annual exams for grades six to nine. It also decided to change the textbooks from next year.

As part of the ‘reforms’ that followed the fall of the Awami League government, Education Advisor Wahiduddin shared a message of the government’s plan to wind up the new curriculum and go back to the old system.

He said the curriculum introduced by the Awami League government was ‘not fit to be implemented.’

However, students and parents said that it would be hard (for everyone) as they had just become used to the new curriculum.

“We got accustomed to it. Now we’re worried that this [new curriculum] will be changed. We have to go back to the old one again,” said a seventh grader at Mirpur Bangla School and College.

“Students, teachers and the people, everybody was confused over the new curriculum. The teachers didn’t have any training. It was thrust on them in a hurry,” said SHED Senior Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid.

Educational institutions across the country were shut down amid the quota reform movement. The HSC and equivalent exams were postponed in a few rounds since Jul 18. The education ministry deferred the exams after many exam centres were damaged and question papers burnt amid the violence surrounding the anti-government movement.

The deferred exams were scheduled to be held starting from Sept 11 but were cancelled following the protest by a group of students at the Secretariat.

Education Advisor Wahiduddin called the cancellation of HSC and equivalent exams due to violence an ‘untoward’ incident.

[Written in English by Sabrina Karim Murshed]