A group of Dhaka College students on Saturday voiced strong opposition to the hybrid schooling system outlined in the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) draft proposal for the establishment of Dhaka Central University.
They called for direct consultation with stakeholders, rather than soliciting feedback through email.
The students made their statement at a press briefing held at the Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka College campus around 11am.
They have been campaigning for over a year to modernize Bangladesh’s higher education system by uniting seven government colleges in Dhaka under a unified university framework—while preserving the distinct identity and autonomy of each institution.
“The Ministry of Education released the draft on Tuesday, but it is deeply disappointing that the document was prepared without meaningful input from the majority of students,” the group said in a joint statement.
They expressed concern that the proposed hybrid model could erode campus autonomy and contradict the original vision of their movement, which seeks to transition the seven colleges out of Dhaka University’s affiliation and into a unified structure with independent governance.
The students specifically criticized Section 3 of the draft, which grants the proposed university authority to acquire and transfer all movable and immovable assets of the colleges.
They warned that this provision could lead to future conflicts between college administrations, university authorities, and students.
Additional concerns were raised over the proposed co-education system at Eden and Badrunnesa campuses—institutions historically dedicated to women’s education.
The students argued that such changes could diminish women’s priority in these colleges.
They also objected to the exclusion of religious studies subjects such as Islamic History and Culture and Islamic Studies from the draft, describing it as a “religion-phobic attitude.”
The group demanded that the UGC immediately withdraw the current draft and, if necessary, form a commission to develop inclusive and sustainable legislation.
They stressed the importance of ensuring representation from all stakeholders, including students, teachers, alumni, and social and political organizations affiliated with the seven colleges.
“No initiative can succeed without student participation and broad stakeholder representation,” the students concluded, rejecting the seven-day email-based feedback process as inadequate and dismissing it as “farcical.”