DU Masters: Applicants Slam Restrictive Rules as a Hollow Promise

During the 2017-18 academic year, Champa Khatun secured admission to the English Department at Gopalganj Science and Technology University - GSTU (formerly Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University) under the ward quota. Her admission form listed her as the daughter of Abdullah Al Asad, a faculty member in the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department. It was later revealed that Champa was not his daughter but his wife’s sister’s daughter, raising questions about her eligibility.

This incident is part of a broader issue. Allegations indicate that in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years, nearly 50 students were admitted under the ward quota using falsified information. State law restricts ward quota eligibility to biological children and spouses of faculty or staff. However, GSTU is accused of admitting foster children, siblings, and others declared as wards through notary public affidavits, violating legal criteria.

Typically, university admissions, including ward quota decisions, are managed by an admission committee comprising deans and senior officials, requiring majority approval. However, GSTU claims that during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years, then-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Khondkar Nasiruddin personally oversaw all ward quota admissions from his office, sidelining the admission committee.

A recent Right to Information (RTI) request by The Daily Campus sought details of ward quota admissions over the past five years. While GSTU provided some data, it withheld information for the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 academic years. In a letter signed by Md. Mahbubul Alam, Deputy Director of Public Relations, the university, stated that the admission committee’s member secretary reported that the VC exclusively handled ward quota admissions during these years, leaving no records with the committee.

These findings highlight significant concerns about transparency, accountability, and potential misuse of authority in GSTU’s ward quota admission process, pointing to a lack of oversight during the specified years.