Digital University Students Announce ‘Long March to UGC’ Over Name Change Dispute
Students of the former Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University, renamed Gazipur Digital University on February 13, 2025, have announced a ‘Long March to UGC’ to protest the exclusion of ‘Bangladesh’ from the university’s title. The decision follows months of unresolved grievances, with students boycotting academic activities and escalating their movement due to the authorities’ inaction.
In a press release issued on Saturday, May 17, 2025, the students declared their plan to march to the University Grants Commission (UGC) in Dhaka on Monday, May 19, and stage a sit-in until their demands are met. They stated that the ongoing identity crisis caused by the name change has created uncertainty in their academic and professional lives. “Despite repeated appeals, the silence and indecision of the authorities have left us frustrated,” the release noted.
Established in 2016 in Kaliakair, Gazipur, as Bangladesh’s 41st public university and the first specialized institution for information and technology, the university began academic operations in 2018. The renaming to Gazipur Digital University via a gazette notification sparked widespread discontent among students, who rejected the name and halted all academic activities, demanding a title incorporating ‘Bangladesh’ to reflect its national significance.
Students argue that specialized universities in Bangladesh, such as Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh Textile University, Bangladesh Maritime University, and Bangladesh Aviation and Aerospace University, typically include the country’s name. They noted that the latter two were renamed under the same ordinance to include ‘Bangladesh,’ questioning why their university was treated differently. “Naming it after a district, when it was not part of the district-based university project, is illogical. As the nation’s first specialized technology university, it should bear the country’s name, following precedents like BUET and BAU,” they asserted.
The students highlighted that 12 of 13 universities renamed under the ordinance followed a consistent framework, making their university’s distinct naming structure unacceptable. They also raised concerns about potential errors in the ordinance itself.
Since February 17, the ‘Name Implementation Forum’ has organized protests, including human chains, press conferences, free medical camps, and wall graffiti, widely covered by national media. On February 24, students blocked the Dhaka-Tangail railway, prompting Additional Secretary Nurun Akter from the Ministry of Education’s University Wing to promise a resolution within three weeks. However, no action followed, leading to a complete university shutdown on April 8, including exam boycotts.
On April 13, an online meeting with Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Information and Technology, saw him assure that ‘Gazipur’ would be removed from the name, criticizing ‘Digital University’ as a flawed concept tied to the Awami League’s ‘Digital Bangladesh’ narrative. He proposed a new naming framework, and students temporarily relaxed their shutdown. Despite further assurances from the Education Adviser on May 7, no concrete steps were taken, prompting the resumption of indefinite protests on May 6.
The students have proposed four alternative names:
- Bangladesh University of Technology (BUT)
- Bangladesh University of Information and Technology (BUIT)
- Bangladesh University of Advanced Technology (BUAT)
- Bangladesh University of Frontier Technology (BUFT)
They demand that one be finalized swiftly to resolve the identity crisis, emphasizing that a national name would elevate the university as a “Centre of Excellence” and a “National Hub for Research and Innovation,” enhancing its global prestige and inclusivity.
The ‘Long March to UGC’ underscores the students’ resolve to secure a name that reflects the university’s pioneering role in technology education, with the sit-in set to continue until their demands are addressed.
