Jagannath University is one of the oldest educational institutes of Dhaka, this institute
started offering graduate and post graduate course under Calcutta University before the
establishment of Dahaka University. Then this institute was a college, in 2005 the
government passed Jagannath University act which paved the way for Jagannath University.
But this act brought controversy, at first this university refused to enroll studying
students at the new university, the authority said they should complete their course under
national university as they would do at Jagannath College. But at the end they were enrolled
at the new University after student movement.
That controversial act also said former teachers of the Jagannath College have to leave this
new university gradually; University will recruit its teachers. Those government college
teachers filed a writ challenging that provision, but their last appeal was rejected on 24th
July, 2011. During this time period those 168 teachers were working on deputation at the
university but after the judgment the university issued a notice to those teachers to leave
the university and those teachers joined to directorate of education.
Now the university has only 275 teachers. Departments are facing difficulty to run academic
activities for 22,766 students. Now the student teacher ratio is 82:1, which was 51:1
before. Many departments do not have a single professor, associate or assistant professors
are working there.
Students and guardians are expressing their concern, how the university will run, where the
university is already taking longer time than usual for every course.
The officials are acknowledging this sudden loss of teachers is a crisis, but they say, it
is not hampering academic activity. Some one hundred teachers will be recruited within
September that will solve the crisis mostly.