The country’s higher education sector is facing a growing crisis as the number of teachers who pursue higher education abroad and fail to return or extend their leave has risen steadily over the past five years till 2022.

Despite being on leave, they have availed themselves of salaries and numerous benefits from the universities for an extended period.
The number of absent teachers was 25 in 2018, which rose to 49 in 2022. However, the highest cases were reported in 2021 with 64, according to a recent report of the University Grants Commission (UGC) obtained by the Daily Sun.

According to UGC data, approximately 28% of public university teachers were on leave, totalling 4,558 individuals in 2022. Of these, 2,441 were on study leave, 171 were on deputation, 92 were on unpaid leave, and 1,854 were on part-time, contractual, or other types of leave.

Dhaka University leads the number of teachers on educational leave, with 355 individuals, followed by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) with 172. Additionally, 171 teachers are serving on deputation, with Rajshahi University of Science and Technology having the highest count at 69, followed by Dhaka University with 27.

Many of the absent teachers have failed to maintain contact with the university authorities, exacerbating the challenge of conducting classes and examinations with a limited teaching staff.

As per the university regulations, teachers are entitled to full-pay educational leave for up to five years, followed by half-pay for the subsequent year. Additionally, they may opt for one additional year without pay, with the condition that they return to their teaching responsibilities and work for the same period upon completion of their studies abroad.

Despite the prolonged absence of these teachers, universities have failed to take decisive action, with the UGC’s occasional reminders yielding limited results. However, individual universities have taken independent measures, such as employment termination and reimbursement of funds, in accordance with their respective regulations.

According to the report, till 2022, 49 teachers from nine public universities ventured abroad for higher education but neither fulfilled their obligation to return to their respective institutions nor applied for leave extension.

Mawlana Bhashani University of Science and Technology tops the list with 19 absentee teachers, followed by Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) with 12. Additionally, Dhaka University, Chittagong University, and Patuakhali Science and Technology University each have four absentee teachers, while Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University has three. Furthermore, one teacher from each of Islamic University, Jagannath University, and Sylhet Agricultural University is absent without permission.

According to UGC officials, these teachers initially obtained permission from their universities to pursue PhD or higher education abroad. During their leave, they continued to receive salaries and allowances from the university but failed to resume their duties upon the leave’s expiration without applying for an extension.

Despite attempts to contact the absent teachers, many have remained unresponsive. While some universities have taken disciplinary action, others have shown indifference, resulting in a deprivation of quality education for students and exacerbating the issue of talent drain from the country.

Sources within the UGC’s university management department emphasised the need for stricter enforcement of regulations to prevent the outflow of both financial resources and intellectual talent from the country.

Professor Md Forhad Hossain, vice-chancellor of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, asserted that no teacher is permitted to leave the country without authorisation. He emphasised the university’s commitment to taking strict action against violators, with some cases resulting in termination.

However, he claimed a decrease in such incidents under his tenure.

Similarly, SUST Vice-Chancellor Prof Farid Uddin acknowledges the detrimental impact of absentee teachers on the institution’s educational quality. He affirms the university’s prompt response to such instances, refusing to tolerate unauthorised absences.

Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, a former professor at Dhaka University, has condemned the practice of pursuing higher education abroad at the expense of the nation’s resources without returning.

He attributes this trend to a lack of patriotism among teachers and laments the perils of talent drain, which he deems more detrimental than financial loss.