The authorities of Jahangirnagar University said on Friday night that there was a motive behind recent resignation of a teacher claiming that the teacher resigned his position to escape possible punishment over an allegation of irregularities in examinations.
According to a JU public relations office notice, management studies department associate professor Zahidul Karim resigned purposefully citing the recent series of events involving anti-quota student protests.
鈥楾he university syndicate in a meeting held on August 28, 2021, launched an investigation to determine whether allegations of irregularities against the teacher in conducting the MBA examination for the academic year 2017-2018 were true,鈥� the notice read.
The notice also claimed that Zahidul Karim allegedly assisted in malpractice during the examination of the session.
Mentioning the authorities鈥� notice as a conspiracy against him, Zahidul Karim claimed that he knew nothing about the malpractice during the examination as he was not involved in any academic activities of the session.
Zahidul Karim, then chairman of the department, also held the chairman of the examination committee professor Awal Al-Kabir liable for raising 鈥榝abricated鈥� allegations against him out of personal vengeance.
鈥楶rofessor Awal Al-Kabir kept an unpublished result sheet of the session in my office drawer and I mistakenly opened it without the presence of other examination committee members,鈥� he said.
He also claimed that he demanded an investigation into the 鈥榗onspiracy鈥� and action against professor Awal Al-Kabir and two other teachers for professional negligence.
Earlier in 2021, several teachers of the JU management studies department brought an allegation of irregularities in conducting the final examination of the 2017-18 academic session against the then chairman of the department, Zahidul Karim.
At a meeting of the department鈥檚 academic council, the examination committee members alleged that Zahidul Karim tried to adopt malpractice to give a female student of the session an illegal advantage.
The examination committee members also lodged a written complaint against Zahidul with the office of then vice-chancellor Farzana Islam in this regard.
鈥楾he investigation process was prolonged to save Zahidul and the then administration gave him study leave for a master鈥檚 degree without resolving the issue. It is unusual,鈥� a teacher of the department said preferring anonymity.
He also said that the authorities extended Zahidul鈥檚 leave for a PhD degree that helped him to settle down aboard.
Contacted, JU vice-chancellor Nurul Alam said that the investigation would be reopened soon and steps would be taken following due proceedings.
