Student admissions to two undergraduate courses for the 2024–25 academic session at the Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College in the capital’s Mirpur have been suspended due to an ongoing student protest demanding the formation of an independent council.
Monday was the final date for admissions to the Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) and Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) programmes at the college.
Each year, the college admits 25 students to each programme.
"We could not enroll the students as all academic and administrative activities remained suspended amid the ongoing protest," Rashiduzzaman Khan, acting principal of the college, told The Daily Star today.
He said officials of the Directorate General of Medical Education had given verbal assurance that the deadline would be extended.
"But everything depends on when the protest ends. Today, the students said they would continue their demonstration until an ordinance is passed to establish a council for them," he added.
Students of the college have been staging protests since July 1, pressing for the formation of an independent council to oversee their academic and professional affairs.
Last week, they also demonstrated in front of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and on Sunday, they demonstrated in front of the Directorate General of Medical Education.
Jubair Islam Mission, a fourth-year student of the college, said although the college was established in 1989, there is still no specific law or council to govern their education system.
Since 1996, they have been governed by an adhoc council under the leadership of the director general of DGHS and there was a decision that there would be a council similar to the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council to deal their issues, he told The Daily Star.
Like MBBS and BDS, their programmes are six-year professional degrees, including a one-year internship. Therefore, they have been demanding a new ordinance and a separate council to reflect the structure and status of their education.
"We will continue until our demands are met," he said.
