Different student organizations and general students of Dhaka University (DU) are protesting the authorities’ decision to hold examinations without opening dormitories/halls.
They are urging the authorities to reconsider their decision immediately and open the halls before exams.
Soon after the authorities took the decision of holding exams of final year and master’s, students without opening halls from December 26, students started protesting and expressing their anger through various ways including social media, human chains and demonstrations.
Bangladesh Chhatra League on Sunday submitted a memorandum to DU Vice-Chancellor Dr Akhtaruzzaman, urging him to reconsider the decision and hold exams after ensuring students’ accommodation and maintaining all health guidelines.
Recently, most of the student bodies including Chhatra League, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, and Bangladesh Students’ Union (BSU) in separate statements demanded reopening of dormitories, and threatened to take to the street otherwise.
The student bodies welcomed the university’s decision of holding honours final year and master’s exams aiming to reduce session jam but they protested holding of exams without opening dormitories, as a lion portion of the students from far flung areas of the country do not have alternate accommodation facilities to the resident halls.
On Thursday, the university authorities at an academic council had decided to hold the honours final year and master’s examinations from December 26 to avoid session jam.
Terming the decision as one sided, against students’ interest and inconsistent with reality, they urged the authorities to hold the final year undergraduate and postgraduate exams ensuring accommodation facility and maintaining all the health guidelines and protocol.
Chhatra League in a statement on Saturday said: “To check session jam and let the students appear in competitive job examinations, it is necessary to hold the examinations within a short period but without ensuring students’ accommodation, it is partially harmful for students’ interests and is in no way a guardian-like attitude.”
“The university will have to arrange the examinations on time, following health safety guidelines and other rules, set by the government,” it added.
The university administration’s proposal did not reflect the views of students as they did not ensure students’ participation in the decision-making process and failed to protect the students’ rights, read a statement issued by BSU.
“We think that opening the hall for the examinees by ensuring health protection and holding the examinations is the best, fair and realistic solution,” the statement read.
Expressing anger, final-year student Mehedi hasan said: “Students are not even able to buy mobile data to attend in classes due to lack of money. In this situation, how will they manage the money for house rent and stay in Dhaka?”
Earlier on Friday, a group of DU students formed a human chain at the foot of Anti-Terrorist Raju Memorial Sculpture at TSC intersection on the campus demanding opening of the halls before the exams.
Meanwhile, a Facebook group of the university ‘Shopner Dhaka Bisshobiddaly’ conducted an opinion poll on Thursday with the headline ‘Is it logical to take exams without opening halls’ where 3,966 students voted in favour of opening hall out of 4,152.
“However, the university is not thinking to reopen the dormitories as the decision was taken considering the health safety of the students as well as overall betterment of teachers and employees,” DU Vice-Chancellor Akhtaruzzaman told BSS.
“As the students are from different districts, it is right that they have some real problems and thus, we have asked the teachers of the departments to communicate with the students and take proper care of them in this case,” he added.