#Title

Mild, inactive BNP-linked teachers were favoured as VCs Prof Wahiduddin recalls appointment process during his time as education adviser

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Planning Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud yesterday said during his tenure as education adviser under the interim government, preference was given to teachers with “mild” or “inactive” BNP backgrounds when appointing vice-chancellors at public universities.

He made the remarks at a discussion titled “The 2025–26 Budget in the Context of LDC Graduation,” organised by the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) at a hotel in the capital.

Reflecting on his experience in overseeing major university appointments, Prof Wahiduddin said, “Since we are a non-partisan government, we could not appoint anyone based on party loyalty. The greatest challenge was that so many positions were vacant, but I hardly knew personally who could be trusted with these responsibilities. In several cases, I sought help from friends with administrative or political experience.”

He explained that he approached Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of BNP and a long-time friend and former classmate, According

SEE PAGE 9 COL 1