Winter break to continue at DU with 15 days of holidays, halls to remain closed

In consideration of students' fears about earthquakes, the authorities at Dhaka University have decided to announce a continuation of winter break with 15 days of holidays.

Moreover, two more days of holidays will be added to the break, extending the holidays up to Dec 24.

In consideration of Christmas Day on Dec 25, the biggest festival for Christians, and the weekend on Dec 26 and Dec 27, a decision has been made to reopen halls and resume regular classes on Dec 28, the Public Relations Office of the university said.

On Wednesday, a press statement from the university said that after considering the recommendations of experts and the overall situation, the authorities decided to continue the winter vacation and add Dec 23 and 24 to the holidays and reopen the residential halls and resume regular classes on Dec 28.

“No internal exams will be held during the holidays. However, online classes designed to make-up for the lack of learning during the holidays declared under the emergency situation will be running until Dec 13, 2025.”

The statement added that exams will resume in the first week of January 2026.

“In this case, the (academic) departments will reschedule the exams in coordination with the deans of their respective faculties and the office of the exam controller,” it said.

“It is to be noted that after the earthquake, an assessment of damages in the residential halls and their renovation work is under way. Even after the halls open, renovation work may continue in some of them. The meeting solicits the cooperation of the students and others related.”

The decision was taken at a meeting on Wednesday, said the Public Relations Office.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near Narsingdi on Nov 21, rocking much of Bangladesh. The quake – one of the most intense in the country’s recent memory – sparked panic among students at the university, some of whom were injured rushing or leaping out of buildings. Three aftershocks the following day further exacerbated the panic.

In consideration of the students, the Dhaka University Syndicate met on Nov 23 and declared a 15-day holiday.

Accordingly, that holiday period was to end on Dec 7. However, Dec 7-22 was to be the university’s winter holiday. The university administration has decided to keep that holiday and add another two days to the total to keep the university closed for a stretch of five weeks.