KUET to reopen after 5 months

Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) is set to reopen five months after its closure, with classes scheduled to resume from Tuesday, July 29.

Professor Dr. Md. Maksud Helali, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of KUET, announced this on Sunday, July 27, after holding separate meetings with teachers, student representatives, and various university departments.

The Vice-Chancellor urged students to return to their dormitories and hostels before the commencement of classes.

KUET was closed on February 25 following a clash on February 18. Since then, the university remained non-operational amid student protests and hunger strikes. The government removed the then Vice-Chancellor on April 25 in response to the unrest. On May 1, Professor Dr. Md. Hazrat Ali from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology (CUET) was appointed as acting Vice-Chancellor.

Although the university syndicate decided to resume classes on May 4, the KUET Teachers’ Association refused to return to academic activities until justice was served for teachers assaulted by students. Dr. Md. Hazrat Ali resigned on May 21, leaving the university in a state of paralysis.

On July 24, Professor Dr. Md. Maksud Helali, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of KUET.