Academic activities at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) resumed today after a closure of five months and ten days.
With students back, the once-silent campus sprang to life, restoring vibrancy and rhythm to classrooms, corridors, and university life.
By 9:30am, classes were already in session at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), while other departments were making preparations to resume academic activities.
The students were seen commuting from outside arrived by university buses, vans, and rickshaws. Some were seen walking through the rain, getting drenched, while others chatted animatedly with friends.
However, due to the sudden announcement, many students had not yet returned to campus. Their classmates informed The Daily Star that several were still on their way.
The decision to resume classes came after the university’s teachers’ association yesterday suspended its ongoing movement for three months. Later that day, newly appointed Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md Maksud Helali officially instructed the resumption of academic activities and issued a formal notice.
Helali held several rounds of meetings with the teachers’ association, faculty deans, department heads, students, law enforcement officials, and local community members.
The announcement of the reopening brought much-needed relief and optimism among the students.
Vice Chancellor Dr. Helali said both teachers and students have agreed that classes and the investigation process will proceed simultaneously. That is why academic activities have been directed to resume from today and already classes have been resumed from morning.
Professor Faruk Hossain, general secretary of the KUET Teachers’ Association, said the teachers suspended their movement based on the vice chancellor’s assurance. “The administration has announced the reopening of classes, and teachers have responded by returning to classrooms,” he added.
Rahatul Islam, a Civil Engineering student from the 2020 batch, told The Daily Star, “With Helali appointed as the new VC, we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. The resumption of classes after five long months makes us truly happy and hopeful. The fear of academic uncertainty and session delays is beginning to ease.”
“We just want to return to our studies. All we hope for is a stable academic environment,” he added. “Under the experienced leadership of Dr Helali Sir, we believe KUET will move forward once again.”
On February 18, violent clashes broke out on the campus centring the demand to ban student politics on the campus, leaving over a hundred people injured. Following the unrest, both the vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor were removed from office. On May 1, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) professor Dr Hazrat Ali was appointed as interim VC, but he resigned on May 22 amid opposition from the teachers. Although a circular for VC recruitment was published on June 10, the process did not move forward until recently.
As a result, KUET remained closed for 160 consecutive days—from February 18 to July 28—with all academic activities suspended. The absence of a vice chancellor stalled the university’s academic and administrative operations. Finally, on July 24, the government appointed Professor Helali, a retired BUET professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as KUET’s new vice chancellor. He formally joined the university the following day.
