'Dishonest’ officials dominate UGC, Tanzimuddin claims in resign letter

University Grants Commission (UGC) has failed to develop into an effective institution as a small group of “dishonest and corruption-prone” officials dominates its administration, Prof Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan alleged in his resignation letter.

Prof Tanzimuddin resigned as a full-time UGC member on April 23.

He said as performing duties with honesty and integrity “a constant challenge and a test of immense patience”, he decided to quit.

His resignation letter contains allegations of smear campaigns, political lobbying, conflict of interest, pressure over the World Bank-funded HEAT project, and tender lobbying.

On the HEAT project, funded by World Bank and the government, he said he had been falsely portrayed as having amassed crores of taka. He wrote that the UGC had called the allegations baseless.

Although many skilled and honest people work there, a small group of “inefficient, extremely cunning, dishonest and corruption-prone” people dominated its administration, he alleged. Some changed political allegiance whenever state power changed, he wrote.

Prof Tanzimuddin said his honest work angered many inside and outside the commission, as they could not fulfil “dishonest personal ambitions” or continue “customary corruption”.

He alleged that the group used social media, online portals, and “unethical” journalists to defame him.

After the February 12 election, the same “baseless, false and fabricated” allegations resurfaced online and in newspapers, but no evidence had been produced, he wrote.

He expressed frustration over the current commission’s silence and failure to clarify its position.

The letter contains several allegations against an unnamed UGC member. When contacted, Prof Tanzimuddin declined to disclose the member’s name.

Prof Tanzimuddin alleged that during the election period, the UGC member tried to take charge of the HEAT project, planning and development division, and university management.

He claimed the member created “unwanted mental pressure” on the recently resigned chairman in the name of “redistribution of responsibilities”, with support from the officers’ association and corruption-prone officials.

He alleged political lobbying for that member from the ruling party’s upper levels, using district and family connections.

According to the letter, the member warned the then chairman that after February 12, the commission should not run as before.

Prof Tanzimuddin claimed the assistant director recruitment examination could not be completed mainly because of that member’s pressure.

The letter also raises an allegation of conflict of interest in the HEAT project.

Prof Tanzimuddin wrote that while the unnamed member was evaluating research proposals under one cluster, the member’s spouse also submitted a proposal under the same cluster.

The member did not disclose the matter to the ATF Board formed to manage proposal review and selection, he alleged. Concealing information and arranging a research project for a family member was “completely unethical and unlawful”, he wrote.

The member was later withdrawn from that responsibility, according to the letter.

Prof Tanzimuddin also alleged that the same member sought Tk 48 lakh from HEAT to renovate the UGC bungalow in Mirpur for personal residence, and Tk 5 lakh to decorate the office room. The requests were not met, he wrote.

He alleged decoration materials were brought to the fifth floor without procurement or approval. After asking an engineer under that member to take the materials back, he became the member’s target.

Some officials said in meetings that many had travelled abroad under the earlier World Bank-funded HEQEP project, but HEAT had no such provision, he wrote. Even the UGC chairman witnessed such remarks after joining, he wrote.

He also claimed one or two journalists had indirectly expressed interest in foreign trips funded by the project.

Seeing these, he wrote, he sometimes wondered what change the July-August uprising had sought. For this “vicious circle”, personal benefits, promotions and interests after the February election mattered more than the spirit of August 2024, he wrote.

Prof Tanzimuddin said he had no ambition for the UGC post and treated it only as a responsibility. He wrote that while serving, he fell behind academically, reduced research, and deprived his students and family over 19 months.

“For these reasons, I resign from the post of member of the commission,” he wrote.

However, Views Bangladesh could not independently verify the allegations in the letter.