United News of Bangladesh

Academic activities at the Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (Kuet) resumed on Tuesday after a suspension of over five months, breaking the longstanding deadlock on the campus and bringing relief to its students. The decision to resume the academic activities follows after the university’s teachers’ association agreed to suspend their protest programme for three weeks. Earlier, on Monday, newly appointed Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Md Maksud Helali instructed the teachers to resume classes from Tuesday. The teachers had been boycotting academic duties since May 4 demanding justice over the assault on faculty members following a clash on the campus on February 18. Dr Maksud Helali appointed new KUET VC The clash, which erupted over a demand to ban student politics, left over a hundred injured. That night, students allegedly manhandled the then VC and some faculty members for allegedly siding with the attackers. Later, on April 25, the Ministry of Education removed VC Prof Dr Muhammad Masud. Prof Helali, who was appointed as VC last Thursday, said all sections, including students, faculty members and officials, had been consulted with. “Teachers and students have agreed that classes and investigations will proceed simultaneously,” he said. General Secretary of the teachers' association, Prof Faruk Hossain, said they suspended their protest programme, expressing the hope that the administration will now act on their demands. Leadership vacuum paralyses Kuet; salaries unpaid, projects stalled Students welcomed the decision as they have been able to return to regular academic life after five months and 10 days.

After 27 days of stalemate Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) will resume all its academic activities online from Tuesday. The decision came after an emergency syndicate meeting of the university led by Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed on Sunday evening. A day after the protesting students suspended their movement demanding his resignation. "The residential halls for students will be reopened from Monday and physical classes, exams will resume from February 22 if the government does not impose any more restrictions for Covid-19, '' said Ishfaqul Hossain, Registrar of the university. Read:SUST students suspend movement after meeting with ministers SUST authority announced a shutdown following a clash on the campus between police and the protesting students on January 16. The students were asked to leave the dormitories by 12pm the next day. The police action on the students triggered a long protest and hunger strike in campus rejecting the authority’s orders. The students of SUST suspended their movement on Saturday following a successful meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni on Friday. They suspended the protest after VC Farid Uddin Ahmed expressed regret over the police action on protesting students on January 16 and apologised earlier on Saturday. On Friday, regarding the student’s demand for VC's resignation, Dipu Moni said it will be placed before the President as he is the Chancellor of the university, holding the power to appoint and remove someone from the post of VC. Regarding the two cases filed against the protesting students, she said arrangements will be made to withdraw those cases as soon as possible. The protests began in the middle of January. Over two dozen SUST students who went on fast unto death ended their strike on January 26. They broke the fast after former SUST Prof Zafar Iqbal offered them water to drink. The students embarked on the hunger strike on the university campus on January 19, demanding the resignation of the VC over the police crackdown on their fellows. The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets. On the other hand, the police had filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students. Read: SUST VC finally apologises over cop attack on students The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.  Zafrin Ahmed, a provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints. She later resigned from her post, citing health issues.

Hundreds of polytechnic students took to the Chattagram city streets on Sunday to press their four-point demand, including the resumption of classes and exams.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday again made it clear that without improvement of the COVID-19 situation the government will not allow to reopen the educational institutions for the sake students’ and teachers' safety.