Dhaka University Students Rate Teachers: New Website Causes Debate
The Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, known as DUCSU, has launched a new website. This site lets students rate their teachers’ quality and professionalism. DUCSU named the platform “DU Evaluation.” Students can give ratings to teachers based on their feedback.
However, Dhaka University’s administration has questioned this new initiative. University officials say evaluating teachers is not DUCSU’s responsibility. The university has its own rules and plans for teacher evaluations, they stated.
DUCSU launched the website officially on Thursday afternoon. A press conference was held at the DUCSU building. Student leaders explained that students can evaluate teachers from their own departments. They can rate them on several points.
Ratings are already visible on the website. Some teachers have received a perfect 5 out of 5 score. Other teachers have ratings as low as 1 or 2. Students rate teachers on things like course content, teaching methods, and communication. They also consider exams, professionalism, and overall satisfaction.
DUCSU said the website began its experimental phase two days earlier. About 7,000 students have already evaluated teachers. This trial period will last for seven more days. Changes will be made based on feedback received.
After three months, a full report will be prepared. This report will cover teachers from all university departments. DUCSU plans to give this report to the university administration.
Umma Uswatun Rafia is a DUCSU Executive Member. She said teacher evaluation was a promise during their elections. DUCSU launched the website because the administration did not act on their requests. Students must log in with their academic email. They can only evaluate teachers from their own department.
Shadik Kayem, DUCSU Vice-President, said the system aims to improve teaching. It is not meant to create conflict. Students are always evaluated through exams. But there was no system for students to give feedback on teachers. He said DUCSU discussed this with the administration for a year. Since nothing happened, DUCSU decided to act.
Professor Abdus Salam is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education. He said this initiative is not DUCSU’s official role. He agreed students can share opinions. But official teacher evaluation needs specific rules and processes. The university already has an approved policy for this. Its launch is pending, he added.
Professor Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Administration. He also said DUCSU’s action is not appropriate. He stated that evaluating teachers is the administration’s job. The university is already finalizing its own evaluation system. He said Dhaka University students could evaluate teachers from the 2026-27 academic year.
Professor Almujaddade also stressed that only specific students should evaluate teachers. For example, students who attend classes. He believes public websites like this are not right. Associate Professor Md. Khorshed Alam also disagreed. He posted on Facebook that DUCSU is “overstepping authority.” He worried it could cause campus disorder. This might harm students in the long run.
