Jamaat Ex-MP’s Recommendation for RU Teacher Appointment Sparks Controversy
Controversy erupted at Rajshahi University after a Facebook story by Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Dr. Farid Uddin Khan revealed an admission card for a lecturer position in the Crop Science and Technology Department, recommended by former Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md. Latifur Rahman. The story, visible for about 15 minutes before being deleted, has raised serious concerns about political influence in teacher recruitment.
Professor Khan admitted receiving the recommended admission card, claiming his son accidentally posted it while playing games on his phone. In a Facebook post, he wrote, “I couldn’t understand how an applicant’s admission card appeared in my story. My son was playing games on my phone, and it might have been posted by mistake.” He noted that he receives numerous recommendations daily from students, teachers, friends, colleagues, and politicians, but insisted these do not affect merit-based selections. “I hope no one misinterprets this. I apologize for the erroneous story,” he added.
The admission card carried a recommendation from Md. Latifur Rahman, a former MP for Chapainawabganj-3, elected in 1986 and 1991 under Jamaat-e-Islami. Rahman, previously Nayeb-e-Ameer of Chapainawabganj district Jamaat-e-Islami and twice president of Rajshahi University’s Islami Chhatra Shibir, declined to comment to The Daily Campus, saying, “I am unwell and aware of the issue, but unwilling to comment.”
When asked about the recommendation’s signature, Professor Khan told The Daily Campus, “The admission card came to me as it appeared in the story, but I’m not certain if the signature is his.” On other recommendations, he said, “I have about a dozen such cards, submitted by teachers, students, or applicants during visits, or sent via WhatsApp. None, except this, came from a political party.”
The incident has intensified scrutiny of Rajshahi University’s teacher recruitment process, with the exposed recommendation fueling debates over political interference in academic appointments.
