DU considers appointment of teacher despite 'note of dissent'
Staff Correspondent
The Dhaka University (DU) authorities are considering appointing a candidate as lecturer at the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology despite 'note of dissent' by two of five selectors on alleged manipulation of his honours and master's degree results. The two members of the selection committee also claimed that the interview of Shahnoor Hossain was 'extremely poor' and he violated university rule by joining another university during his post-graduation study. One of them Dr Anwar Hossain, dean of Faculty of Biological Sciences, met the President, the Chancellor of the university, on August 27 and submitted a written request to stop Shahnoor's appointment. Chairman of the selection committee Pro-Vice-chancellor Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, however, said the committee has nothing to do with the anomalies in honours and master's results. “Shahnoor has been selected on the basis of merit. There is no scope for any anomalies or irregularities here,” he asserted. The selection will be placed before the DU Syndicate tomorrow for approval. Earlier on August 10, all the five members of the selection committee recommended Shanchita Rehnuma Khan, who secured first class second position in both honours and master's examinations of Microbiology and took another master's degree from the University of New England, Australia. While selecting for the other post, the committee chairman and two other members recommended Shahnoor, who secured first class third position in honours and first class first in master's examination in Microbiology. But Dr Anwar Hossain and Chairman of the department Dr Anwarul Azim Akhand recommended Munira Obaid, who stood first class second in honours and first class fifth in master's examinations from Biochemistry. They said Shahnoor joined Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as a lecturer when he was a masters student at DU 'without informing the university'. Besides, he was given 10 out of 10 marks in in-course examinations in honours and master's examination and his thesis dissertation was sent directly to two examiners bypassing the office of the Controller of Examinations. The examiners were also not experts on the subject, resulting in Shahnoor's attaining 90 percent marks, said a source. In 2000, suspecting Shahnoor's involvement with Islami Chhatra Shibir, students of Shahidullah Hall beat him up as they found a poem in his diary against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a case was filed against him after he was handed over to police. When contacted, Controller of Examinations Abdul Latif declined to talk to reporters.
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