Seven college students withdraw protest after meeting with advisers

Students of seven colleges on Tuesday suspended their protests on receiving assurance that their six-point demand will be fulfilled at the soonest possible time.

They, however, gave a 15-day ultimatum to come up with the framework of an independent university for them, which, they say, is the solution to their longstanding problem.

Spokesperson for the movement Abdur Rahman, also a student of Dhaka College, made the announcement while briefing reporters about the development of their protest.

The students have long been demanding that the seven colleges be turned into an independent university.

Rahman said, "We want an outline of what kind of university it will be. We have asked the committee (committee to formulate institutional outline for seven colleges) to finish their work. They have said that they will do it very soon. However, we have set the 15-day deadline.

Meanwhile, Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said on Tuesday the Dhaka University (DU) administration has announced its separation from seven colleges without discussing the matter with the government.

"I wasn't informed. I came to know all of a sudden that a statement has been issued citing that students won't be admitted to seven colleges under the supervision of Dhaka University from this academic year."

Referring to a suggestion that something would be done under the University Grants Commission (UGC), he said, "The UGC is not a university having no jurisdiction to admit students."

Terming the present circumstance unusual, the adviser said it would require discussing with all stakeholders concerned.

"We were moving ahead through talks regarding the students' demands. All of a sudden, the current situation has transpired. I alone cannot figure out how this stalemate will be settled," he commented.

Mr Mahmud said this to the media after a dialogue session styled 'Education and Innovation Dialogue 2025' hosted by North South University (NSU) on its campus in association with the Bangladesh Brand Forum.

Regarding establishment of a new university comprising the seven colleges, he said, "A new model is required, not that of a traditional university, for which activities are on the cards."

Earlier, the adviser joined a plenary session styled 'Future of Education for an Innovative Nation' as the chief guest, while UGC chairman Prof SMA Faiz was the special guest.

NSU vice-chancellor (VC) Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, BRAC University VC Dr Syed Ferhat Anwar and Jahangirnagar University VC Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan were the panellists of the session moderated by Asian Tiger Capital Partners founder and chairman Iftakharul Islam.

Presenting a keynote, Iftakharul Islam said there has been huge development with the disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

Against this backdrop, all stakeholders in Bangladesh, including the academia, should get prepared to embrace the challenges.

The NSU VC highlighted the need for incorporating courses on technological development into the academic curriculum at every level of education.

"We now need to focus on global employment market and make the curriculum aligned with this for the country's youth," he said underscoring the need for skills development.

According to JU VC Kamrul Ahsan, a huge number of jobless graduates are in the country, indicating that there is something wrong in the curriculum. "We now need to produce graduates with skills and ethics."

The event was powered by City Bank and supported by the UCB, while Asian Tiger Capital was the knowledge partner.

Five panel sessions were held at the daylong event included future plan for an effective education system, startup ecosystem, skills development, innovation-friendly financing and issues related to education.

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