Students of seven colleges in the capital on Saturday issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the issuance of a gazette notification for the formation of an interim administrative body.
They warned that if their demand is not met by Sunday (May 18), they will launch stricter protests, including a gherao at the relevant ministry, starting Monday (May 19).
The ultimatum was announced at an emergency press conference held in front of Eden Mohila College around 4pm, where students gathered to protest what they described as unacceptable delays in the university transition process.
On behalf of the general students, Tanzimul Abid and Zafrin Akhtar, both are the members of the team overseeing the transition, read out a written statement highlighting five key demands.
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“We only want our right to education. The state has repeatedly forced us to abandon our studies and take to the streets. If the gazette for the interim administration is not issued by tomorrow (May 18), we will be compelled to return to street protests from Monday (May 19),” said Zafrin Akhtar.
The nature of their upcoming programmes would be announced later through press releases, depending on how the situation evolves, she said adding, “If we are forced to return to the streets, we will not go back to the campus without the ordinance of the new university in hand.”
Their demands include the immediate issuance of the gazette notification forming the interim administration, publication of an academic calendar to address session backlogs once the interim administrator is appointed, a halt to the collection of extra fees, arrangements for the 2024–25 admission test within two working days after the interim body is in place and the release of the outline and logo or monogram of the proposed Dhaka Central University within the next five working days.
The students also demanded that the ordinance for the new university be issued by June 16 and that allocations for the newly formed institution be included in the national budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year.