The New Nation - Internet Edition

RU Correspondent

The students of different faculties of the Rajshahi University are being deprived of proper education as a good number of teachers of this seat of learning are now engaged in a part-time job in private universities, NGOs and private companies in utter violation of the 1973 University Act.

Shortage of teachers is also hampering the education of students of different departments, according to university sources.

As many as 300 teachers out of 1057 of RU are now associated with private universities located in the divisional headquarters and Dhaka, NGOs and private companies, sources said.

Besides, over 250 posts of teacher are now lying vacant. Moreover, nearly 150 teachers are either carrying out research work or pursuing higher education abroad.

Most of the RU teachers working with private universities and NGS are from the faculties of business studies, law, science, social science, arts, bio-geological science. Some teachers have been doing part-time job in more than four private universities in Rajshahi and Dhaka.

There are at least 20 private universities in Rajshahi city. Darul Ahsan University, Northern University, Southern University, Asian University and Royal University are some of them.

Engagement of the RU teachers in private universities and consultancy services in NGOs are delaying the completion of courses of various departments and creating session jam, a teacher of the university said wishing to remain unidentified.

Inordinate delay in completing courses and session jam have been putting heavy financial strain on many poor guardians of the students, he noted.

He further said that the monthly salary of a teacher of RU ranges between Tk 29 thousand and Tk 11 thousand depending on seniority besides 40 percent house rent and other allowances.

When contacted, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mamnunul Keramat told the New Nation that the syndicate of the university has allowed a teacher to do part-time teaching job in only two private universities at a time.

However,Prof. Mohammad Shafi, acting registrar of RU, maintains that involvement of

a teacher of the public university in a private university is not only unethical but also unlawful .

Some guardians of students of RU said that teachers of the public universities must have full commitment to their respective parent university and that they should not chase after earning extra money at the cost of education of students.