UGC asks Ctg Uni to halt hirings, seeks explanations
The university says the UGC approval is not required to hire people in the posts that were filled
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed the Chittagong University authorities to stop all recruitments without its approval.
It has also asked the university to explain and provide documentary evidence of the previous appointments made and recruitment notices published without its approval.
The directives were given in two letters on 3 June.
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The UGC in one of the letters said appointments at universities involve monetary allocations and expenses.
As the commission receives funds from the government and allocates them to universities, the university is directed not to appoint anyone without the commission's approval, it said.
On 30 May, The Business Standard ran a report titled "13 illegal appointments alleged at Chittagong University".
The university received severe criticism from various quarters after the report had been published. It hastily issued a circular the following day to recruit employees in 41 posts in 27 dorms, departments, and offices.
In the second letter, the UGC then asked the university to provide the documentary evidence.
The Chittagong University acting registrar, Professor SM Monirul Hasan, told The Business Standard that they had stopped ad hoc/daily basis/master roll recruitments complying with the UGC instructions.
"The recent circulars were mainly for vacancies caused by deaths and retirements of some employees. The UGC approval is not required to hire people in these posts. We sent this explanation to the UGC."
CU's rejoinder
The university on 6 June sent a rejoinder to The Business Standard report, claiming that it was totally baseless, intentionally designed, and clearly ill-motivated.
The rejoinder said some vacancies at the university's engineering office caused by unexpected deaths and retirements of some employees had seriously hampered the routine work. That is why some temporary appointments were made on a daily wage basis.
The university authorities have every right to appoint such manpower on a temporary or daily wage basis or any other form to handle the crisis as this does not violate any government rules imposed on the university authorities, the rejoinder added.
Our reply
The report was written based on proper documents. The Business Standard has the document signed by Professor Monirul, which shows that seven employees had been appointed to the university's engineering office on 23 May this year on a monthly wage basis.
According to the UGC, without its permission, the Chittagong University authorities cannot appoint employees on a temporary or daily or monthly wage basis and without newspaper advertisements.
A UGC notification published on 13 September last year reads that public universities in the country would not be able to make ad hoc or daily basis or master roll recruitments without the commission's approval. Approval is required even for appointments through outsourcing.
The Chittagong University authorities violated the UGC instructions and appointed teachers to the college section of Chittagong University Laboratory School and College and seven employees to the engineering office. We stand by our report.
