Play store
Five assistant proctors of the University of Dhaka (DU) have submitted their resignation letters, while another is expected to step down by Thursday, following developments within the university’s administration.
All six were appointed to the positions during the interim government following the July mass uprising.
DU Proctor Associate Professor Md Israfiul Prang (Israfiul Ratan) confirmed that he had received five resignation letters on Wednesday and Thursday. Two teachers submitted their letters on Wednesday, while three others did so on Thursday.
The five assistant proctors who have resigned are Associate Professor Mohammad Mahbub Kaisar of the Department of Sociology, Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam of the Department of Arabic, Lecturer Atia Sanjida Sharmi of the Department of Zoology, Associate Professor Sharmin Kabir of the Institute of Education and Research, and Assistant Professor Jahangir Alam of the Department of Management Information Systems (MIS).
Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Rezaul Karim Sohag of the Department of Criminology has also decided to resign and is expected to submit his resignation letter by Thursday.
According to reports, the resignations followed requests from the university authorities for the assistant proctors to step down.
Some of the teachers claimed that they had been approached individually and asked to leave their positions, citing pressure from higher authorities.
One of the assistant proctors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the request to resign had been conveyed through the proctor.
Another teacher said he had cited personal and family reasons in his resignation letter.
However, not all the resigning teachers attributed their decisions to external pressure. One said he wanted to focus more on academic activities.
The proctor confirmed receiving the five resignation letters but denied personally pressuring anyone to resign. He said the reasons behind their decisions could best be explained by the teachers concerned.
There are currently 21 assistant proctors at the University of Dhaka. The latest resignations are expected to bring changes to the university’s proctorial team.
The development comes amid broader changes in the university’s administration following the appointment of a new proctor.
