Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud has made it clear that there is no plan to declare Titumir College an independent university.
“An expert committee is working to bring [DU-affiliated] seven colleges under a separate university... the UGC chairman is leading that committee, Titumir College is one of those colleges,” the adviser, who is also in charge of the Planning Ministry, said on Sunday while responding to a question after the weekly Ecnec meeting held at NEC conference room.
"The seven colleges do not want to be under Dhaka University while DU also does not want these seven colleges…this is logical,” he added.
The adviser said there is no problem in demanding a university or waging a student movement. “But the students have to sit for the examination one day, if they do not concentrate on their studies and sit for examinations at this stage of age, they will not be able to do anything in the future.”
He mentioned that the general students of Titumir College told him and wrote to him saying that they wanted to sit for classes and examinations. “There should be no hindrance to their academic activities.”
The adviser asked the agitating students to throw such programs that would not create hassles for the mass people. “It is not logical to press home their demands announcing a deadline, we will not take such a decision.”
He also categorically expressed the government's firm stance that the interim government does not have the power to accept this type of demand. “We came here to ensure the transformation of a well-governed democratic system in the country, as well as adopt some small reforms towards that,” he said.
In response to a question, the education adviser clarified that the statement in the press release, which mentioned that the government is giving special consideration to the matter of Titumir College, was not written by him. “The secretary might have edited that they could do that, maybe it is for diplomacy, or do not know [regarding this matter],” he said.
He also expressed his irritation with the huge number of unnecessary public universities in the country. “There are 55 public universities right now, half of them established in the last seven years.”
Students of Government Titumir College have been agitating on the road for the last couple of days demanding that the college be turned into a university.