RU teachers leave quarters

While the rent for the residential quarters built in the 1960s for the teachers and officers of the Rajshahi University (RU) has been increased several times, no new facility has been added in the last 50 years. As a result, many teachers have left these quarters in recent months.
Sources said that there are 319 quarters on the first, second and third floors—categorised into A, B, and C—for the teachers and officers of the university. Among these quarters, the rent of 60 have been fixed for four years. The rent for the remaining 259 quarters is directly deducted from the salary, as per government rules.
Apart from this, there are 138 buildings for the third- and fourth-grade staff of the varsity. Of these, the rent of 88 houses is fixed and that of the remaining 50 is deducted from salaries.
When asked about the rent, the deputy director of the RU’s finance and accounts section, Shariful Islam, said according to the government gazette, the university is getting house rent at a rate of 55 per cent of salary from those with salaries between Tk. 8,250 and Tk. 9,700, 50 per cent from those with Tk. 9,701–1,6000, 45 per cent from those with Tk. 16,001–35,501, and 40 per cent from those with salaries above Tk. 35,501.
Therefore, many senior teachers end up paying Tk. 35,000 to Tk. 40,000 as house rent, which is considered as highly expensive in Rajshahi, where the cost of living is among the lowest in the country.
Some 40 teachers have left their university quarters in the last three months while 39 quarters have been lying vacant for a long time.
Prof. Istik Hossain, a senior professor of the Fisheries department, said: “We can live in the most luxurious area of Rajshahi at half this rent. That’s why most senior officials of the campus are leaving the university residential compound’.
“But it is true that we feel insecure outside the campus because of the spurt in militant attacks across the country. Some of our most prominent professors have been killed and many have been threatened,” he added.
A senior teacher of the Sociology department said that as there was a lack of infrastructure development and maintenance, most of these quarters became unliveable about a decade ago. But the university administration did not take any steps to enhance the living facilities here, despite several appeals from teachers. Prof. Md. Shahidullha, president of the RU Teachers’ Association (RUTA), said the issue will be discussed at the next RUTA meeting.
“We are trying to increase the facilities in the quarters,” said residential allotment committee convener and also dean of the Life and Earth Sciences faculty and former RU vice-chancellor, Prof. Dr Faisul Islam Faruki.

RU teachers leave quarters

While the rent for the residential quarters built in the 1960s for the teachers and officers of the Rajshahi University (RU) has been increased several times, no new facility has been added in the last 50 years. As a result, many teachers have left these quarters in recent months. Sources said that there are 319 quarters on the first, second and third floorscategorised into A, B, and Cfor the teachers and officers of the university. Among these quarters, the rent of 60 have been fixed for four years. The rent for the remaining 259 quarters is directly deducted from the salary, as per government rules. Apart from this, there are 138 buildings for the third- and fourth-grade staff of the varsity. Of these, the rent of 88 houses is fixed and that of the remaining 50 is deducted from salaries. When asked about the rent, the deputy director of the RUs finance and accounts section, Shariful Islam, said according to the government gazette, the university is getting house rent at a rate of 55 per cent of salary from those with salaries between Tk. 8,250 and Tk. 9,700, 50 per cent from those with Tk. 9,7011,6000, 45 per cent from those with Tk. 16,00135,501, and 40 per cent from those with salaries above Tk. 35,501. Therefore, many senior teachers end up paying Tk. 35,000 to Tk. 40,000 as house rent, which is considered as highly expensive in Rajshahi, where the cost of living is among the lowest in the country. Some 40 teachers have left their university quarters in the last three months while 39 quarters have been lying vacant for a long time. Prof. Istik Hossain, a senior professor of the Fisheries department, said: We can live in the most luxurious area of Rajshahi at half this rent. Thats why most senior officials of the campus are leaving the university residential compound. But it is true that we feel insecure outside the campus because of the spurt in militant attacks across the country. Some of our most prominent professors have been killed and many have been threatened, he added. A senior teacher of the Sociology department said that as there was a lack of infrastructure development and maintenance, most of these quarters became unliveable about a decade ago. But the university administration did not take any steps to enhance the living facilities here, despite several appeals from teachers. Prof. Md. Shahidullha, president of the RU Teachers Association (RUTA), said the issue will be discussed at the next RUTA meeting. We are trying to increase the facilities in the quarters, said residential allotment committee convener and also dean of the Life and Earth Sciences faculty and former RU vice-chancellor, Prof. Dr Faisul Islam Faruki.