After the formation of the interim government, many things in the country have begun to return to normalcy. However, the educational activities of public universities have remained halted. The resignation of vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, treasurers, and administrative officials following the students’ protests has led to the suspension of educational activities in most universities. The security of residential students has been greatly affected at the universities. Under such circumstances, it is crucial to prioritise the appointment of vice-chancellors and other officials to ensure that classes and examinations can resume for the students. However, finding and appointing suitable candidates for these positions is not an easy task.

For a long time, vice-chancellors in public universities have been appointed based on political affiliations. Political connections were often prioritised over skills and qualifications. Now, the Ministry of Education Restoring Normalcy in Public Universitiesfaces the challenge of appointing vice-chancellors at so many universities. Now, the hope of everyone is that vice-chancellors will be selected based on their academic and administrative competence, breaking away from the previous trend of political appointments. However, if a non-political individual is chosen as vice-chancellor, their tenure may be short-lived due to conflicts arising from teacher-student politics and national politics. Therefore, it is imperative to limit student-teacher politics in these educational institutions. Besides, a vice-chancellor should be an experienced person, with a solid academic and administrative background. Holding a Ph.D. is a necessary qualification, preferably one obtained from a reputed university abroad. Their research should be of international standard, and those with a strong research profile should be given the highest priority while recruiting vice chancellors.

 In the recruitment of new teachers, priority should be given to the demands of the departments where the teachers are to be appointed. However, it has been observed that the department responsible for recruitment is often unaware of the process, leading to discrepancies between the desired candidates and those actually selected. Good candidates are frequently overlooked owing to political influences, vice chancellor's preferences, and other factors. In my opinion, applications received after circulation should be sent to the relevant department for evaluation. This would allow them to shortlist candidates based on their prioritised needs and other factors, such as previous results and research publications. The vice chancellor and expert committee should then conduct an oral examination, followed by a screening and selection of two or three finalists through demonstration classes.

Despite the presence of provosts, assistant provosts, and house tutors in university residence halls, their control over the halls is usually limited. In most cases, the student bodies affiliated with the ruling party dominate the halls. As a result, deserving students requiring residential facility are often denied the opportunity. Furthermore, those who do live in the halls often face harassment and are compelled to attend various political meetings and events. Basic amenities such as housing, healthcare, and quality food are essential rights for these students. Hall authorities should prioritise providing these facilities and seat allocation should be based on merit and student needs.

Students should have the opportunity to confidentially evaluate their teachers at the end of each semester. In foreign universities, teachers with poor evaluations and a lack of high-quality publications are often excluded from teaching courses and may even face demotion. Additionally, while there are many foreigners working in our country, there are also a significant number of unemployed graduates each year, indicating a mismatch between our curriculum and the demands of organisations. Public universities in Bangladesh should establish collaborative relationships with industries, as these partnerships are vital for educational research in developed countries. University administrators should promptly take action to actively foster these relationships. Universities should proactively identify their needs and opportunities for collaboration with respective industries.
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The writer is a Professor, Department of Business Administration, SUST, Sylhet.
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