DU weighs merging 8 depts into 3, teachers oppose move over lack of consultation
Teachers say the affected disciplines have distinct academic identities and accuse the university of moving ahead without prior consultation, as deans seek recommendations on the proposal.
Highlights:
- Proposal seeks to merge eight departments into three
- Teachers cite distinct academic identities, lack of consultation
- Deans asked to submit recommendations after consulting departments
The Dhaka University administration has begun considering a proposal to merge eight academic departments into three, triggering objections from teachers who argue that the affected disciplines have distinct academic identities and that the move was initiated without prior consultation.
The proposal was discussed at the Deans' Committee meeting on 22 June. According to the meeting minutes, the deans of the relevant faculties have been instructed to consult department chairpersons and submit their recommendations.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Under the proposal, the Faculty of Social Sciences' Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Department of Television, Film and Photography, and Department of Printing and Publication Studies would be combined into a single department.
Similarly, the Faculty of Arts' Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, Department of Music, and Department of Dance would be merged into one department, while the Department of Sanskrit and the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies would be combined into another.
The departments were previously part of the same academic structure.
Academic committee meetings of the Departments of Television, Film and Photography and Printing and Publication Studies are scheduled for tomorrow (6 July), when the departments are expected to formally communicate their positions.
However, teachers from several of the affected departments told The Business Standard they were not consulted before the proposal was placed before the Deans' Committee and do not support the plan.
A teacher from the Department of Television, Film and Photography, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all faculty members oppose the proposal.
"If there are concerns about market demand, reducing student intake could be considered. But merging departments is not justified. Our curriculum, syllabus and academic objectives are entirely different," the teacher said.
Tanvir Nahid Khan, assistant professor of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, said, "We were discussing the possibility of holding separate admission tests for the three departments – Theatre and Performance Studies, Music and Dance. Against that backdrop, the Deans' Committee's discussion came as a complete contradiction to us.
"Our disciplines, syllabuses and curricula are distinct," he said.
Commenting on the proposal, Professor Mohammad Mojibur Rahman of the university's Institute of Education and Research said, "Just as universities introduce new departments over time, they may also consider closing or merging some departments if required by changing demands and labour market realities. However, such decisions must be taken through a proper and transparent process."
"Rather than making isolated decisions, the university should form an expert committee comprising professors from different disciplines and, if necessary, experts from abroad. They should conduct a proper needs assessment and market assessment before any decision is made based on evidence," he added.
Mojibur Rahman further said, "A decision to merge or close a department should not be taken hastily. Otherwise, questions may arise as to why only a few departments are being merged while others are excluded from the same process."
