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Thousands of Jagannath University (JnU) students have besieged the Secretariat to press home their five-point demand including construction of university’s second campus by the army and increasing the university’s budget allocation.
The students took position in front of the education building on Monday and later a 12-member delegation of students entered the Secretariat with a memorandum to submit it to the Education Secretary, reports UNB.
As the Education Secretary did not meet them, the students continued their siege programme.
The 12-member delegation includes their spokesperson Tausib Mahmud Sohan, organisers AKM Rakib, Raisul Islam Noyon, Asadul Islam, Abu Bakr Khan, Naushin Nawar Joya, Sohan Pramanik, Masud Rana, Nur Nabi, Omar Faruk, Ferdous Sheikh, and Apu Munshi.
The students demanded that the Project Director appointed during the autocratic regime for the conduction of 2nd campus must be brought under legal scrutiny, and within seven days, this responsibility must be handed over to army, immediate steps must be taken to acquire the remaining 11 acres of land, and all agreements regarding the old campus made during the autocratic regime must be cancelled.
The demanded inclusion of Jagannath University in the recently announced pilot project by the University Grants Commission (UGC), a minimum annual budget allocation of 500 crore BDT for the university.
Jagannath University student Naushin Joya said, “We came to the Education Secretary with the memorandum. We were kept standing inside the iron gate and asked to send our demands through representatives. We were not allowed inside. The Secretary has conveyed that he has no time to speak with us. We will remain here until the Adviser arrives. Since we have come outside, we won’t go back. The Education Adviser must come to us.”
Tausib Mahmud Sohan, said , “We entered the Secretariat with the memorandum to meet the Education Secretary. However, instead of meeting us personally, the Secretary sent a representative to speak with us. We do not accept this. Now, our demand is that the Education Adviser comes and listens to us.”