Students of 7 colleges protest demanding issuance of university ordinance

Students of these colleges protested today, Wednesday, demanding the immediate issuance of the proposed 'Dhaka Central University' ordinance for seven government colleges in the capital. More than a hundred students gathered at the main gate of Dhaka College from 10 am and started the protest procession.

The procession started from Dhaka College premises and went to Science Lab intersection and took a U-turn at around 11 am. Then, the procession passed through Nilkhet, stopped in front of Eden Women's College for a while and returned to Dhaka College. After the protest, the students announced the end of the program through a press conference.

The students alleged that they are in uncertainty as the government-announced 'Dhaka Central University' ordinance has not been issued yet. They said that the 'affiliated' status of the seven colleges has put them in an identity crisis for a long time. The word 'affiliation' has now become a symbol of lack of identity and discrimination for the students.

Abdur Rahman, one of the organizers of the movement and the focal person of the Seven Colleges and Universities Transformation Team, said, “We have been agitating for a separate identity for a long time. We will not tolerate any conspiracy by the education syndicate. Now is the time to see the implementation of our struggle.”

He also said, “When the government has taken the initiative to formulate an ordinance, it should be implemented quickly. Students cannot be kept in uncertainty any longer.”

The protesters fear that the process of implementing the ordinance may be long. It will be published in the form of a gazette after going through five stages—drafting by the UGC, sending it to the Law Ministry, returning to the UGC with amendments, sending it to the Advisory Council through the Education Ministry, and finally the President’s approval.

They demand that administrative slowness and bureaucratic complications should not become an obstacle in the way of implementing the ordinance.

It is worth noting that on March 26, the government announced the formation of ‘Dhaka Central University’ by separating seven government colleges in the capital. The colleges are: Dhaka College, Eden Women's College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women's College, Shahid Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Mirpur Bangla College and Government Titumir College.