Dhaka, Oct 26 (V7N)- Students from the seven colleges affiliated with the University of Dhaka have launched a three-day initiative aimed at advocating for the establishment of an independent university. The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Shahid ANM Najib Uddin Khan Khurram Auditorium at Dhaka College on Saturday, where the Seven College University Transformation Team laid out their program.

The planned activities include graffiti painting on their respective campuses on Sunday, departmental outreach on Monday, and a protest march and rally at Dhaka College on Tuesday.

During the press conference, students reflected on the 2017 directive from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which led to the affiliation of these seven government colleges with the University of Dhaka. They criticized this decision as haphazard, asserting that it has caused significant disruption to their academic lives. Instead of enhancing the quality of education, students have faced educational deprivation due to what they described as discriminatory policies and administrative shortcomings of the Dhaka University administration.

Previously, students from these colleges had staged blockades at the Science Lab and Nilkhet intersections, voicing similar demands. They lifted the blockade only after issuing a 24-hour ultimatum for their three key demands:

  1. Formation of an Independent Commission: An immediate formation of a commission for the seven colleges to examine various issues and develop a framework within 30 days.
  2. Prevention of Session Jams: Assurance that there would be no session jams during the establishment of the independent university, with Dhaka University continuing its operations in a manner that avoids delays until the new institution is formed.
  3. Addressing Grievances: The students emphasized that despite being affiliated with Dhaka University, their concerns remain largely unaddressed, contributing to a lack of independent institutional identity. They cited issues such as insufficient quality teachers, limited research opportunities, absence of a specific academic calendar, unclear syllabi, significant session jams, delays in result publication, and an alarming number of students failing.

The students argue that the unplanned decisions made by the administration have resulted in considerable chaos in their educational experiences and call for the establishment of a new independent university, distinct from Dhaka University, to eradicate this discrimination.

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