Universities in Bangladesh have long been regarded as engines of progress and social mobility; the uprisings of last July and August had an overwhelming number of university students, and there is hope that students graduating from these institutions will be the ones who will guide the nation to a better place.
With that said, it is extremely concerning how so many of our higher education institutions are now mired in a crisis that threatens not just academic calendars but our nation’s very future.
Campuses across the country -- Jagannath University, Dhaka University, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), and Barisal University to name a few -- have been paralyzed by a wave of student and teacher protests, administrative upheaval, and, at times, violence.
The result has been prolonged shutdown of academic activities, affecting tens of thousands of students who face session delays and, perhaps most concerningly, the prospect of irreparable learning loss.
We recognize that at the heart of the turmoil are legitimate grievances: Demands for administrative accountability, better living conditions, and fairer governance.
Yet, the tendency to resort to disruptive protests as a first step, rather than a last resort, have created an atmosphere that leaves no room for compromise or dialogue. The result is thus this toxic cycle of confrontation and shutdowns, with every stakeholder, from students to teachers to administrators, locked in a zero-sum struggle.
The path forward must be one of compromise and understanding among all parties. Grievances must not be ignored but instead be addressed through transparent, due process, enacting reforms that restore trust in university leadership. Equally, students and teachers must recognize the broader harm caused by prolonged closures and work to normalize academic activities.
A better Bangladesh does not get built without universities that function as centres of knowledge and innovation. The entire nation must work to ensure this reality.
