NU clarification, our reply
The National University (NU) in a clarification to a story headlined "Teachers who never took any classes" published in The Daily Star on July 13 said the report is not based on facts and is likely to create confusion in the minds of the public.The clarification signed by NU Public Relations and Publications Director Mohammad Moatter claimed that the NU teachers regularly take classes of PhD and MPhil courses and training programmes for teachers of the NU-affiliated colleges. The clarification also said the order on the 38 NU teachers to take classes at four affiliated colleges has been postponed, not withdrawn, as the teachers found the language used in the letter objectionable. It claimed that these teachers never misbehaved with the vice-chancellor (VC) and other high officials of the university. It also said the information that the NU teachers do not come to the university regularly and usually sign attendance register once a week or two is untrue. The clarification claimed that the VC never takes any decision alone and all decisions taken by the VC need approval of the syndicate. Our Reply
The NU clarification does not mention anything about the main focus of The Daily Star report that the 86 NU teachers do not take classes at the NU-affiliated colleges. The clarification said these teachers teach PhD and MPhil courses and conduct teachers' training courses. But only professors can conduct the PhD and MPhil courses and according to NU sources, only two are professors among these 86 NU teachers. The sources also said the NU authorities have to hire professors from other public universities, especially Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, for running the PhD and MPhil courses. The university also hires professors and qualified teachers from other universities to run the training courses and is compelled to spend a large amount of money for this purpose. The Daily Star report quoted the NU VC's statement that said the directive was postponed in the face of strong protest from the NU teachers. The report referred to both the VC and the dean who alleged that the teachers misbehaved with them and other top officials of the university for issuing the notice. The university sources provided The Daily Star with a photocopy of the teachers' attendance register that shows a poor attendance of the teachers. We stand by our story.
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