The ongoing crisis over the appointment of the vice-chancellor at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) has disrupted academic activities, with 864 classes and 33 semester-final examinations cancelled over 18 working days, affecting more than 4,500 students.

As the university begins its Durga Puja vacation on Friday, the deadlock over the vice-chancellor’s appointment remains unresolved. The suspension of classes, laboratory sessions and examinations has reportedly cost students a combined 567,000 academic hours.

Third-year student Noman Ahmed Nayeem Mridha said the prolonged shutdown had raised concerns about session delays, missed job application opportunities and difficulties meeting deadlines for overseas higher education and scholarships.

“We fear irreversible damage to our futures because classes and laboratory activities have remained suspended for 24 consecutive days. Thousands of students should not have to sacrifice their futures because of an administrative crisis,” he said.

Asked how soon examinations could resume after the Puja vacation, CUET Controller of Examinations Professor Moinul Islam said the heads of the respective departments would first need to request the examinations. The matter would then be placed before the Academic Council for approval.

Water Resources Engineering Students Fall Further Behind

CUET has 18 departments under five faculties, including 12 undergraduate departments. The university has more than 200 teachers and over 4,500 students.

Students in the Water Resources Engineering (WRE) department had already lost nearly two months of academic time last year during a movement over a proposed change to the department’s name. The latest disruption has further delayed their academic progress.

33 Semester-Final Exams Cancelled

Since September 22, a total of 33 undergraduate semester-final examinations have been cancelled across different departments ahead of the Puja vacation.

The cancelled examinations include seven from the sixth semester, 22 from the seventh semester and four from the fourth semester.

In the sixth semester, three examinations were cancelled in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and four in Biomedical Engineering.

In the seventh semester, four examinations each were cancelled in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering, and Petroleum and Mining Engineering. Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Water Resources Engineering each had three examinations cancelled, while Materials and Metallurgical Engineering had one.

Four additional fourth-semester examinations in Water Resources Engineering were also cancelled.

No postgraduate examinations were underway at the university during this period.

864 Classes Lost in 18 Working Days

Regular undergraduate classes and laboratory activities across CUET’s 12 undergraduate departments have remained suspended from September 22 through October 15.

Excluding Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, the period covered 18 working days. With four scheduled classes per day in each department, 72 classes were lost per department, bringing the total to 864.

Practical classes, normally scheduled two to three times a week, were also disrupted.

567,000 Academic Hours Lost

With approximately 4,500 students scheduled for seven hours of academic activities daily, from 9 am to 4 pm, each student lost an estimated 126 hours of academic time over the 18 working days.

Across the student population, that amounts to approximately 567,000 hours of lost teaching and learning time.

Fourth-year student Russell Ahmed said the cancelled examinations would extend students’ time at university and delay graduation compared with students at other institutions.

He warned that delayed graduation could reduce access to job opportunities, cause students to miss government recruitment examinations and create difficulties related to age limits for public-sector jobs. Students planning to pursue higher education abroad could also miss their intended admission cycles and have to wait for the next available intake.

Vice-Chancellor Returns to Circuit House

Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Shariful Alam left Chattogram Medical College Hospital on Thursday after receiving treatment for two days and returned to the Chattogram Circuit House.

While at the hospital, he denied leaving the campus after signing any written undertaking. He also said he could visit CUET at any time in his capacity as vice-chancellor, adding that he had the government’s backing.

With the dispute still unresolved and the Puja vacation beginning, students remain uncertain about when regular academic activities and examinations will resume.