United News of Bangladesh

Allegations have emerged at Dhaka University (DU) that the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) has moved to relax recruitment eligibility criteria to favour the daughter of its director in the appointment of lecturers. According to the allegations, a requisition was sent to the university administration after the eligibility requirements for applying for a lecturer position were tactfully lowered to facilitate the appointment of the daughter of IBA’s current Director, Dr Abu Yousuf Mohammed Abdullah. According to Dhaka University’s Integrated Rules and Qualifications for Advertised Teaching Positions, applicants for lecturer positions must have a minimum CGPA of 3.50 out of 4.00 or a first-class result at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. On May 13, a recruitment advertisement was published in newspapers for seven vacant lecturer positions at IBA. The eligibility criteria in the advertisement specified a CGPA of 3.50 or a first-class result, in accordance with university rules. An investigation found that Noor Jahan Abdullah, the IBA director’s daughter, had applied in response to that advertisement. She completed BA in History, Politics and Economics at University College London (UCL). Her result in the degree was “Second Class Honours (Upper Division).” As her qualification did not meet the university’s minimum requirement of a CGPA of 3.50 or a first-class result, she was effectively ineligible for the position under the existing rules. A source familiar with the matter said that after applications were submitted in response to the May 13 advertisement, the director sent a list of applicants, mentioning their names and qualifications, to the Pro-VC (academic). However, as the list did not clearly indicate which applicants met the advertised criteria and which did not, the Pro-VC (academic) returned it to the director. The director later sent another list to the office of the Pro-VC (academic) in September. No further progress has been made in that recruitment process so far. Meanwhile, allegations have emerged that IBA sent a requisition for an entirely new recruitment process for two lecturer positions to the authorities on September 10, apparently because the director’s daughter could be excluded under the requirements of the previous advertisement published on May 13. As the director’s daughter obtained a “Second Class Honours (Upper Division)” in her undergraduate degree, equivalent to 60 to 69 per cent marks, the eligibility criteria in the new requisition were changed to include “CGPA 3.50 or First Class or Above 65% mark,” allegedly to create an opportunity for her appointment. The newly introduced criterion is entirely consistent with the marks obtained by the director’s daughter. The requirement of “Above 65% mark” was added for the first time and was absent from the previous advertisement. It is also in conflict with the university’s policies. The changes were not limited to the mark requirement. The subject-specific qualifications in the requisition were also set in a way that exactly matches the director’s daughter’s degree. The advertisement published on May 13 sought candidates from, among other disciplines, Economics. However, the new requisition specifically mentions Economics, Business Analytics, Business Law and Entrepreneurship. As Noor Jahan’s undergraduate degree is in Economics and her postgraduate degree is in Entrepreneurship, allegations have emerged that the new requisition was primarily designed to facilitate her appointment. The conditions and criteria for recruitment requisitions are determined by the institute’s Coordination and Development (C&D) Committee. The committee is formed from the senior-most one-third of the institute’s teachers, with the director serving as its head. Regarding the “Above 65% mark” requirement in the new requisition, a source at IBA said, “The C&D approved it as per the requisition, the rest is up to the university administration.” As a result, the requisition will proceed to the final recruitment advertisement once it receives approval from the university’s Vice-Chancellor. Another source at the Registrar Building said the new requisition, containing the revised criteria and sent in September, had been forwarded to the Pro-VC (academic) for approval. Instead of providing any opinion of his own, he forwarded it directly to the VC. However, the VC returned the file to the office of the Pro-VC (academic) for his opinion, as the file contained no comments or recommendations from the Pro-VC. The file is currently held up there, according to the source. Regarding these allegations, the reporter was unable to meet IBA Director Professor Dr Abu Yousuf Mohammed Abdullah despite waiting for three days. When sent a message by phone, he said he was ill. Subsequently, an assistant from his personal office called the reporter and asked him to visit the director’s office in Banani to speak with him in person. However, the reporter was unable to meet him there either. One of the director’s research assistants said that the director was ill. Asked about the matter, DU Pro-VC (academic) Professor Dr Abdus Salam said, “First of all, this is still under process. So, I have no opinion on the matter. We generally try to respect the recommendations of the C&D Committee. If anything like this happens, a decision will be taken in accordance with university rules.” Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A B M Obaidul Islam also declined to comment. “It has not come to me yet,” he said.