TBM Report
Academic operations at Barishal University (BU) are set to resume promptly after the newly reorganized administration reached a consensus with protesting faculty members. The university’s teacher association officially announced the suspension of their academic shutdown through a press release on May 16. In an unprecedented move to safeguard students’ academic progress, the faculty resolved to conduct classes and scheduled examinations even during the university’s ongoing official vacation.
The resolution comes on the heels of a major administrative shake-up by the Ministry of Education, which replaced vice-chancellors across eleven public universities on May 14. This policy intervention effectively dissolved the tenure of the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mohammad Taufiq Alam, who had been declared persona non grata by the faculty during their protest for timely promotions. Professor Md. Mamun Or Rashid, the former treasurer of the institution, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor to steer the university out of its administrative deadlock.
The sudden transition of power has generated diverse reactions within the student community. While many undergraduates expressed profound relief regarding the resumption of final exams, others viewed the institutional shift through a critical lens. Student representatives noted that changing top university management concurrently with state political transitions remains an entrenched institutional culture, implying that the protests were leveraged to facilitate administrative realignment.
Meanwhile, the new leadership has initiated constructive dialogue with senior professors and syndicate members to permanently resolve the underlying promotion gridlock. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Mamun Or Rashid assured the faculty that the administration is formulating a systemic resolution in consultation with the University Grants Commission (UGC). Faculty representatives warned that any bureaucratic procrastination, reminiscent of previous administrations, would compel them to reactivate their industrial action, though they remain optimistic about the current commitments.
 are set to resume promptly after the newly reorganized administration reached a consensus with protesting faculty members. The university's teacher association officially announced the suspension of their academic shutdown through a press release on May 16. In an unprecedented move to safeguard students' academic progress, the faculty resolved to conduct classes and scheduled examinations even during the university's ongoing official vacation.){kind=link}