The University of Dhaka (DU) has asked its faculty deans and institute directors to submit the names of teachers who failed to hold classes on November 10, the day a strike was called by the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).

According to a notice signed by the university registrar yesterday, the authorities have requested the relevant officials to send the names of teachers who missed classes without prior permission to the registrar’s office by 4:00pm today.

The notice said the university had received reports that some teachers from different departments and institutes had not conducted their scheduled classes on November 10.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Dr Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane said the administration wanted to understand the reasons behind the teachers’ absence and determine whether anyone had faced threats or felt unsafe.

“When a teacher does not come to take classes, we need to find out why. We want to verify whether the teacher was frightened or had received any threats,” he told The Daily Star.

He said the university had received information that several teachers had either cancelled their classes in advance or failed to attend on the day of the strike.

Alfasane added that the administration wanted to assure teachers of its support and that identifying the reasons for their absence would help the university decide what steps to take.

The university hopes the requested list will help clarify the circumstances surrounding the missed classes.