Dhaka University authorities have taken steps to reopen the dormitories for undergraduate and post-graduate final year and final semester students on a limited extent following health rules from March 13 after a year of the closure for Covid-19 pandemic.
DU authorities have decided to keep closed ‘Gonoroom’, several rooms in every dormitory where 30 to 40 students stay in each room huddling on the floor due to scarcity of seats, to avoid health risk.
According to the university administration, cleanliness activities are going on in every dorm. No one will be allowed to sleep on the floor. A maximum of eight students can live in a four-seat room and four students in a two seated room. Outsiders will not be allowed to stay in the rooms. Students will have to use masks while going out of their rooms. There will be no crowd in dining room, canteen, reading room, auditorium, tea stalls, salon, TV room, guest room, library, mosques and places of worship. Students shall avoid meetings, restaurants, and public transport as much as possible.
However, from March 13, only graduate and post-graduate students will be allowed to stay in the dorms on a priority basis. They have to leave the hall when the exam is over. If the situation is improved, the dormitories will be opened for all in phases, according to the DU administration.
Professor Mihir Lal Shaha, provost of Jagannath Hall said that the cleaning activities are almost done. The hall canteen will be ready within March 13.
Provost of Sir AF Rahman Hall Professor KM Saiful Islam Khan said, “We will follow the instructions prepared by the provost committee to ensure a hygienic environment. Students have to show admit card so that no one can live except the examinees.”
Professor Shamima Banu, Provost of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall said processing for water purifier setup has already been completed. Health advisory posters will be sent to every student.
DU Proctor Professor Md Golam Rabbani said, “Only the students already having residential status will be allowed in the dorms. We have prepared a list of them and now finalizing the list of exam candidates. We will divide the departments into some clusters and hold the exams simultaneously.”
Mehedi Bellal, a student of the post-graduate program said, “The Master's degree programme should have finished in 2020 according to the academic calendar. But till date we could not sit for a single exam which is very pathetic for us. For this situation we may have to pay in job competition.”