The last election of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) was held on March 11, 2019, breaking a 28-year hiatus. Since then, no election has been conducted at this leading institution of higher education in the country, and the reason for the election stoppage remains unclear.
The Ducsu election prior to 2019 was held in the 1990-91 academic year. The university administration has not held any student council elections in the past five years, even after the term ended in 2020.
In contrast, elections for the Dhaka University Teachers Association, Officers Association, and Employees Association have been held regularly.
According to the Dhaka University Ordinance-1973, elections for the Dhaka University Hall are supposed to be held annually. Five student representatives nominated by Ducsu become members of the Senate, the university's highest policy-making body.
These representatives highlight various student issues and opportunities in the Senate. While 35 teachers and representatives were elected to the senate in May 2022 and 25 registered graduate representatives were elected in May last year, the Ducsu election has not taken place.
The Dhaka University Students’ Union was established in the 1923-24 academic year. Later in 1953, it was renamed the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union by amending the constitution.
Analyzing the management and development budget of the university, it has been found that the proposed budget for the financial year 2023-24 is Tk24.7 lakh. In the previous year, the revised budget for salaries and allowances was estimated at Tk23.7 lakh. If the election is held, then Tk50 lakh is allocated for this reason, and Tk41 lakh is kept as grants for Ducsu and Hall Union.
According to the office of the Director of Accounts of the University, every year students deposit Tk60 for Ducsu and Tk60 for the Hall election at the time of admission. Currently, there are 35,000 students at the university.
Accordingly, students are depositing a total of Tk42 lakh for the Ducsu and Hall Union elections every year. According to information from the Ducsu office, its leaders spent Tk8.3 lakh taka from the fund of Tk1.89 crore last year. The previous fund currently has deposits of more than Tk1 crore.
In the last Ducsu election, the elected representatives of Ducsu were able to play a role in several changes by promising to cancel additional development fees, cancellation of guest room torture and common room customs, improvement of food quality, organization of sports, literary and cultural events. At present, the Ducsu and Hall Unions have reverted to their previous forms.
After various speculations about the election of Ducsu in 2019, all the panels, except the Chhatra League, boycotted the election. Chhatra League won 23 out of 25 positions in Ducsu.
Despite questions about the election, Bangladesh Chhatra Adhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Noor took charge as the VP and Akhtar Hossain as Social Service Secretary. Apart from this, the Chhatra League won 12 VP and 14 GS positions in the Hall Union. Independent candidates were elected to other posts.
In response to the question of why the Ducsu election is necessary, former VP Nurul Haque Noor said: “Ducsu is a platform for leadership development and the development of taking responsibility for the country. To become the student union leader, he has to ask for votes from the students and participate in the competition. Currently, there is no opportunity for that.”
Noor pointed out that troubling student politics is occurring across the country, saying: "Students are being beaten and injured. The ruling student organization, Chhatra League, is single-handedly dominating the halls without any regard for the administration. As a result, talented individuals are turning away from politics, and creative students are leaving the country.
“Students are not being given opportunities for merit evaluation. Although a Ducsu election was held after 28 years, it has not been held again. I urge the university administration to facilitate the development of leadership by providing opportunities for Ducsu elections,” he added.
Nasir Uddin Nasir, the central general secretary of the Jatiatabadi Chhatra Dal, said that the Chhatra Dal wants to ensure the genuine coexistence of all student organizations at Dhaka University and to quickly follow a fair process for the Ducsu election.
He said: "We do not know why it has been completely stopped."
Chhatra Union President Rageeb Nayeem told the Dhaka Tribune that after the Ducsu election in 2019, an atmosphere of freedom of speech was created on campus. Students were given the opportunity to address their problems directly to the administration. Student harassment in the common room and guest room of the halls was greatly reduced. That atmosphere has been destroyed by stopping the Ducsu elections. Therefore, it is important for the welfare of the students. However, the administration is not interested in giving leadership to the students.
Tanbir Hasan Shaikat, general secretary of the Dhaka University Chhatra League and a former Ducsu member, said that Ducsu has historically played a significant role in securing students' rights and will continue to do so in the future. He emphasized the need for Ducsu re-election.
"On behalf of the DU Chhatra League, we met with the Vice-Chancellor. We have demanded that the administration make a decision on the Ducsu election as soon as possible, considering the students' interests," he said.
He also mentioned that the allegation that the Chhatra League is occupying the Ducsu building is baseless.
"Not only the Chhatra League, but other organizations such as the Chhatra Front and Chhatra Union also hold occasional meetings in the Ducsu room," he added.
According to the constitution, the vice chancellor of the University will serve as the president of Ducsu, and another teacher will serve as the treasurer.
When asked about the Ducsu election, VC Dr ASM Maqsud Kamal said: "Ducsu elections are necessary to strengthen leadership development and co-educational activities. Through this, leadership qualities are developed among the students, and managerial skills also come into play. Considering this, Ducsu elections should be held."
The Vice-Chancellor added that the current social and political situation is not conducive to holding an election but assured: "We will try to organize a fair election by discussing with student organizations and stakeholders very soon. With the cooperation of all parties and the creation of a favourable environment, it is possible to take the steps needed for Ducsu elections."