Jagannath University (JnU) students on Monday surrounded the Education Ministry to press home their five-point charter of demands, which includes handing over the construction of the university’s second campus to the army.
One protester, first-year student Maruf Hasan, said JnU has been “deprived” from the beginning, adding that its students have been held back while Dhaka University is given “special privileges,” despite having 21 dormitories.
“They even receive additional scholarships, while we only have one dorm and no such facilities."
"We will not leave until our demands are met," he added.
Abdul Quddus, a student from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, said: "We have been ignored for too long, but now is the time to claim our rights. This is our university and our right."
A spokesperson for the protesters, Tausib Mahmud Sohan, said they will give the Ministry of Education a three-day ultimatum to respond to their demands.
The UGC’s Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project should prioritize JnU, and “we need a written commitment by today," he added.
The JnU student wing of Islami Chhatra Shibir also expressed its solidarity with the protest.
Iqbal Hossain Shikder, president of the JnU Chhatra Shibir unit, said: "We fully support the students’ rightful demands. The second campus project should be handed over to the army and JnU must be prioritized in the HEAT project."
The demands are as follows:
- The project director appointed during the Awami League era must be held accountable, and the project must be handed over to skilled army officers within seven days.
- The Ministry of Education must officially announce, with a clear outline, that the second campus project has been handed over to the army.
- Immediate steps should be taken to acquire the remaining 11 acres of land, and all agreements made during the autocratic government regarding the old campus must be cancelled.
- JnU must be included in the UGC’s recently announced pilot project.
- The university’s annual budget allocation must be a minimum of Tk500 crore.
