Teachers from seven government colleges in the capital staged a sit-in and human chain on Wednesday, protesting the plan to establish “Dhaka Central University” with these institutions.
The program was held at 12pm in front of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in Agargaon under the banner of the "BCS General Education Cadre."
Presenting a written statement, Professor Mahfil Ara Begum, convener of the "Seven College Identity Protection Committee" and a teacher of Eden Mohila College, said preparations were underway to launch a new university after the seven colleges had been relieved of affiliation with Dhaka University.
However, news suddenly surfaced in the press about a new structure under the name “Dhaka Central University,” which, she warned, poses a threat of curtailing the colleges’ capacities and destroying their century-old heritage.
She added that such a plan would be in violation of the National Education Policy 2010, which calls for the development of infrastructure, libraries, and laboratories in colleges and the expansion of higher education, not their contraction.
Other teachers participating in the human chain stated that the seven historic institutions, including Kabi Nazrul Government College, Eden Mohila College, and Begum Badrunnesa Government Mohila College, have for decades provided affordable and quality higher education to hundreds of thousands of students. If the institutions are diminished, access to higher education for ordinary students will be severely restricted, with particularly grave consequences for women’s education.
They further observed that colleges like Eden and Badrunnesa have long been a pillar of hope for young women from conservative families seeking higher education.
Any alteration in the status of these institutions would undermine women’s empowerment, educational expansion, and the constitutional guarantees under Articles 28(1), 28(2), and 28(4), along with other provisions of the Constitution. It would also contradict the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4.3 and 4.4) and commitments made under the National Education Policy.
The teachers cautioned that unless transparency is ensured and all stakeholders are consulted before promulgating any ordinance, the move could trigger large-scale student movements, as seen in the recent protests at Eden College.
Citing the example of the historic Carmichael College in Rangpur, they noted that although legislation had been passed to convert it into a university, the plan was abandoned due to widespread protests. Eventually, Begum Rokeya University was established separately, while Carmichael College continued to function as a college.
As alternatives, the teachers proposed utilizing the existing infrastructure and human resources of the seven colleges under a collegiate or affiliated model.
They emphasized that the responsibility for both administration and teaching should remain with the education cadre.
They also called for increased recruitment of teachers, research budgets, laboratory and library facilities, residential accommodations, and scholarship opportunities to sustain quality higher education.
Teachers from the seven colleges, leaders of the BCS General Education Cadre, and faculty members and officials from various institutions participated in the human chain.
