Writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and his wife Yasmeen Haque on Tuesday
tendered their resignations as Shahjalal University of Science and
Technology professors.
They submitted their resignations to the university register’s office at
about 6:00pm, in 3 hours after the cancellation of the process for
taking admission tests for SUST and Jessore University of Science and
Technology jointly at a time with a same question paper.
Yasmeen Haque, also the life science dean, told reporters, ‘We have
resigned to protest at the vice-chancellor’s unilateral decision for
cancelling the initiative for taking admission tests for the two
universities at a time.’
As the news spread, several hundred students gathered in front of the
academic building A and started demonstrations demanding withdrawal of
the order that cancelled the joint admission tests for the two
universities.
The demonstration continued as this report was submitted at 7:30pm, campus sources said.
A group of teachers were also in a meeting in the academic building to
decide programmes in protest against the cancellation of the joint
admission test, the sources said.
The sources added that Zafar Iqbal, also SUST computer science and
engineering department chief, issued an open letter to his colleagues
and students explaining the reasons behind his resignation.
SUST administration took the decision for cancelling the joint admission
tests in an emergency syndicate meeting held in the afternoon with the
SUST vice-chancellor Aminul Haque Bhuiyan in the chair.
Aminul Haque and university register Isfaqul Islam could not be reached
for comment as their cell phones were switched off in the evening.
The SUST and JUST authorities this year signed an agreement to hold the
admission tests jointly for both the universities on November 30 with a
same question paper. According to the agreement, the candidates who
would come out successful in the tests will have the option to choose
any of the two universities to be enrolled, the campus sources said.
A section of students and their guardians, academics, and politicians in
Sylhet had been demanding for scraping the joint admission tests for
the two universities. (source)