A sharp dispute has erupted between the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and the university administration over a student-led teacher evaluation platform, with senior officials challenging Ducsu’s authority to assess academic staff.
The controversy flared after Ducsu temporarily hid individual reviews and ratings on its newly launched “DU Evaluation” portal following an influx of allegedly inappropriate comments. University management insisted that while evaluating teaching performance is essential, the responsibility rests exclusively with the institution, not the student body.
Dhaka University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane, rejected the initiative, stating that Ducsu had exceeded its mandate.
He questioned who granted Ducsu the authority to evaluate academic staff and noted that the university’s Academic Council has already approved a formal teacher evaluation policy, which will be rolled out systematically.
He added that teacher evaluations were introduced in 2022 but were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and steps are being taken to reactivate the official process.
Echoing these concerns, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Abdus Salam confirmed that ratings hosted on DU Evaluation carry no official weight and fall outside Ducsu’s purview, whilst acknowledging that the university’s approved evaluation policy has yet to be fully implemented.
Ducsu defended the platform in an urgent notice published on its website, announcing that recently submitted reviews were undergoing moderation following a sudden surge in traffic. Ducsu officials explained that reviews were hidden until 11:59 pm on 17 September to filter out spam, irrelevant entries, and inappropriate content, though students could continue submitting feedback using verified institutional email accounts.
Ducsu executive member Umme Uswatun Rafia told TIMES of Bangladesh that the platform experienced an unusual spike in reviews for several academics who previously had minimal feedback.
She alleged that certain faculty members had coerced students following negative ratings, while others allegedly offered grade incentives in exchange for positive reviews. She stated that once verified, genuine reviews will be published to maintain an accurate and transparent public record, adding that a recent student poll indicated overwhelming support for keeping evaluation scores publicly accessible.
The initiative has sparked widespread debate among faculty members over institutional boundaries and transparency.
Associate Professor Md Khorshed Alam of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism described the project as an exercise beyond Ducsu’s authority, warning on social media that informal, public rating systems risk creating campus instability and could undermine a formal assessment framework.
Professor Wasimul Bari of the Department of Statistics, who holds a 5-star rating on the portal, welcomed student feedback in principle, but suggested that evaluation metrics should be shared privately with individual academics via administrative channels rather than published online.
Meanwhile, Professor Mamun Al Mostafa of the Department of Political Science questioned whether it was appropriate for students to establish the criteria for evaluating faculty.
According to data on the DU Evaluation website, the platform has recorded over 11,000 user reviews, lists 2,045 academic staff under the professor category, and has registered 6,644 active user accounts.
