Leaders and activists of left parties formed a human chain yesterday, protesting the price hike of the admission form at Chittagong University (CU).
Under the banner Progotishil Chhatra Jote, the CU leaders and activists of Shomajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Chhatra Union and Bangladesh Chhatra Federation staged the demonstration at the Shaheed Minar premises in the university around 12:30pm.
The price of CU’s admission form for the Honour’s first year intake in the 2014-15 academic year has been fixed at Tk500, which was Tk475 last year and Tk400 the previous year.
The leaders also submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor of the university demanding an immediate reduction of the admission form’s price.
Fazle Rabbi, convener of the CU unit of Shomajtantrik Chhatra Front, Mehedi Hasan Nobel, general secretary of the CU unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, and Anwar Sadat Junayed, president of the CU unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, spoke at the event, among others.
Addressing the participants of the human chain, the leaders alleged that the university authorities had plotted to transform the basic human need of education into a commercial commodity, as they increased the price of the admission form every year.
Mehedi said: “This is a part of the University Grants Commission’s 20-year plan for the universities to generate their own income, following the advice of the World Bank.”
The speakers said every student aspired to take admission at higher education institutions, but it was getting difficult for the students seeking places at CU because of the university authorities’ attitude towards higher education.
This way, the education system would be restricted to only a section of people, they claimed.
The activists announced that they would bring out a procession on August 27, protesting of the price hike as well.