CUET academic activities resume partially after 36-day shutdown, protest to continue

Students of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) returned to classrooms on Wednesday after a 36-day shutdown, with academic activities resuming on a limited scale amid an unresolved crisis over the appointment of the university's vice-chancellor. 

Classes began at 9am in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and continued until 11am. However, of the university's 12 departments, only this department held classes, while academic activities in the other 11 remained suspended.

Mohammad Naim Howlader, a fourth-year student of the Civil Engineering Department, said classes were held on a limited scale due to low student attendance.

Laboratory classes scheduled for the day were also postponed following discussions within the department, he added.

Department head Fawzia Gulshana Rashid Lopa said classes for the 21st, 22nd and 23rd batches began at 9am, but attendance remained low across all three. Students from the 21st and 22nd batches turned up in relatively larger numbers.

She expressed hope that more students would return to classes in the coming days.

Despite the resumption of classes, the crisis over the university's VC remains unresolved. Students have vowed to continue their movement demanding the reinstatement of former VC Professor Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, saying their protests would continue alongside regular academic activities.

A six-member delegation formed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to resolve the crisis has held meetings with teachers and students. The delegation was also scheduled to meet university officers and employees on Wednesday afternoon as part of its efforts to find a solution through discussions with the parties concerned.

Earlier on September 21, students demonstrated after the authorities decided to remove Sayem as CUET VC and appoint Prof Dr Sheikh Shariful Alam of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology as his replacement.

The protesting students later locked theVC's residence and announced a shutdown of all academic and administrative activities at the university until further notice.