Long March to Education Ministry if Central University Ordinance Not Issued

Students from seven colleges have issued an ultimatum for a long march to the Education Ministry if the proposed Dhaka Central University ordinance is not promulgated within a week.

On Thursday (September 18), at noon, students from the seven colleges announced this ultimatum at a press conference at the foot of the Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka College premises. At the press conference, Dhaka College student Abdur Rahman and Eden College student Smriti Akter jointly read a written statement.

In the written statement, they said, "We are demanding the issuance of the ordinance for the proposed Dhaka Central University within September 24, and final approval of the ordinance by the Advisory Council. If the ordinance is not issued within the stipulated time, students will stage a long march to the Education Ministry on September 25."

Highlighting various conspiracies surrounding the proposed university, they said, "Now, a faction is again inciting students campus by campus against the university's operations. In the name of preserving tradition, they are using a few students at the eleventh hour to obstruct the government's work."

They further stated, "The conspirators first tried to keep the field heated by showing the lure of making Government Titumir College an independent university to its students. When the students of the college realized the qualitative merits of the government's proposed structure, they turned away from the so-called movement and welcomed the proposed structure."

"We also saw on September 11 that teachers joined a faction's agitation by female students at Eden College. By joining the students' agitation, teachers pressured other female students, misled them, and lured them into the movement by promising passes without exams."

Informing that some teachers have organized and joined the agitation, the students from the seven colleges said, "Yesterday, Wednesday, teachers skipped classes and exams in colleges and took students by bus to UGC to carry out programs. We have heard that some teachers who benefited from the banned Awami League government are leading these activities. Meanwhile, students protested campus by campus for not finding their teachers. On Tuesday as well, teachers skipped classes and exams in the same way and were busy in discussions at Maushee against the Dhaka Central University operations. Where our respected teachers should be engaged in classes, exams, labs, and research, they are busy in agitations after setting aside teaching to fulfill their own interests. This is extremely regrettable for us students."

Expressing resentment towards education cadre officials, they said, "Today, we saw some demands from teachers on banners. Seeing those demands, it seems they will obstruct the dream of breaking the education syndicate and establishing independent-autonomous institutions. There is an attempt to bind us again in the sheepfold of some new affiliation. Otherwise, there is a conspiracy to bring back the old game of the National University."

Notably, students have been agitating for a long time for a separate university involving the seven government colleges in the capital. However, this time, the teachers of the seven colleges have joined the agitation against the university's structure. In this context, today (September 18), the students of the seven colleges protested, boycotted classes and exams, and held demonstrations and a press conference against the ordinance issuance and teachers' agitation.