Dr. Mamun Assumes Office as IUT VC Amid Controversy Over Age and Experience Criteria

Professor Dr. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz, a Malaysian expatriate and professor at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, has formally assumed office as the Vice-Chancellor of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), an international institution run by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The appointment has triggered significant discussion across academic circles as it allegedly violates the strict maximum age and leadership experience criteria explicitly outlined in the original recruitment circular. Dr. Mamun officially took charge on June 14.

According to an official press release issued by the university, a formal "Handover and Takeover" ceremony was hosted on campus to mark the transition of leadership, which the institution described as a historic milestone symbolizing institutional continuity, accountability, and commitment. The ceremony formally honored the dedicated service and institutional achievements of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Mohammad Rafique Ullah, while officially transferring the leadership mantle to the incoming Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Md. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz.

The high-profile event was attended by Shama Obayed Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Science and Technology; and M. Farhadul Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Allegations of Diplomatic Intervention and Shortlist Alterations

Sources allege that Professor Mamun—who comes from a Cadet College background—was added to the final three-candidate shortlist in February following direct interventions by the former Foreign Advisor, Touhidur Rahman.

Initially scheduled for January, the final recruitment interviews faced a major deadlock when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs withheld clearance for the three candidates originally shortlisted by the OIC selection committee. Consequently, the OIC dropped the initial nominees.

That original list included highly qualified domestic academics: Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia, Member of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET); Dr. Sohel Rahman, Member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) and another prominent BUET professor; alongside the sitting Vice-Chancellor of a top-tier private university.

Following an investigative report published by The Daily Campus titled "IUT VC Appointment Stalled by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Intervention, 3 Shortlisted Candidates Dropped?", the selection matrix shifted, allowing one previous candidate back into a newly revised shortlist. The final interviews were subsequently conducted on February 26. Although Dr. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz was ultimately selected for the top diplomatic-academic post, documented discrepancies regarding his age and administrative criteria quickly surfaced, drawing widespread criticism following a follow-up exposé titled "Defying Age and Experience Clauses, Dr. Mamun set to become IUT VC via Proximity to Former Foreign Advisor".

Documented Violations of Age and Experience Thresholds

The official recruitment notice published by the OIC on May 13 last year laid out strict eligibility requirements, explicitly stating under general requirements:

“The candidate must be less than 56 years of age.”

Furthermore, the guidelines mandated that applicants include verifiable personal information in their curriculum vitae, noting, “The resume must include basic personal information, including birthdate, country of residence, marital status, number of children, nationality, years of work experience, and other relevant information.”

However, a close verification of the personal resume published on Professor Dr. Mamun Bin Ibne Reaz’s official academic website reveals that he was born in Pabna on December 30, 1963. Consequently, by the final application deadline of June 12, 2025, his exact age stood at 61 years, 5 months, and 13 days—exceeding the institutional age ceiling by more than five years.

Anomalies in Academic Leadership and Professional Track Record

The OIC recruitment framework also demanded a verified track record in institutional management, requiring:

“Substantial experience in a higher education leadership position... A minimum of 10 (ten) years of experience in a related profession with at least 5 (five) years of senior-level leadership experience in higher education or supporting academic development.”

An analysis of Professor Mamun’s professional history indicates a severe deficit in long-term administrative experience. Prior to his current stint at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Dr. Mamun had joined Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) in Dhaka, where he was appointed as the Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology, and Sciences. He held this position from May 2023 to April 2025. Institutional sources claim his tenure at IUB was cut short and he was removed from the deanship due to issues involving operational misconduct.

Prior to his brief tenure in Bangladesh, Professor Mamun spent 14 years, from 2008 to 2023, at the National University of Malaysia (UKM), rising from senior lecturer to professor. However, diplomatic sources within the non-resident Bangladeshi community in Malaysia allege that his departure from UKM was marred by multiple allegations of financial irregularities.

Additionally, while the OIC circular specified that “The candidate must have at least a PhD degree or equivalent degree from an accredited institution preferably in the areas of Engineering and Technology,” institutional historians note that since IUT’s inception in 1979, no non-engineering academic had ever been appointed to lead the university, a foundational precedent that has now been broken with Dr. Mamun's taking office.