The persistent anti-quota protests and strikes enforced by students and teachers separately have cast a shadow over academic activities in public universities across the country. Academic and administrative activities at public universities across the country have been halted for 14 days.
The teachers are observing an indefinite strike to protest against the ‘Prattay’ pension scheme. Their strike entered the 14th consecutive day and they are adamant to continue the strike until their demands are met. Students of different public universities and colleges also continued to block the city’s strategic points as elsewhere in the country for the 14th consecutive day protesting the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs.
On the other hand, the admission process and orientation for the 2023-24 academic year at the University of Rajshahi (RU), Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), have been postponed due to the strike enforced by the teachers.
Additionally, higher educational institutions have already postponed all scheduled examinations like honours, masters, and semesters of different years and all academic activities. Students at most of the public universities have expressed concerns about the potential for a serious session jam resulting from the ongoing indefinite protest by teachers over the withdrawal of the Prattay pension scheme and anti-quota protest.
Students at most of the public
universities have expressed
concerns about the possibility
for a serious session jam
We predict there is a strong likelihood of session jams reoccurring. In the recent past, the students had to face significant session jams due to Covid-19.
Most public universities are now running behind the academic session by one year. Teachers should take a different path to realise their demands. Students are now frustrated over the lack of directives regarding when classes will resume and scheduled examinations take place.
We think no one will ever accept taking students to the wrong path through provocation, uttering crunchy words, and creating a crisis, leading to public suffering.
The government and the High Court are actively working to resolve this issue. Students need to exercise patience. On the other hand, the students of public universities can pursue their higher education as the government allocates funds for their universities through the University Grants Commission (UGC).
No country in the world provides higher education at such a low cost. It is true the autonomy is there but who is paying the money? It is the government. It does mean we general people pay taxes which are spent for paying teachers’ salaries and students’ educational expenditures.
It is the government that provides salaries and wages for public university teachers and tuition fees of their students. Therefore, both teachers and students must understand the reality and facts. How much a student spends on his or her study a year? It is hardly Tk 500! Is this possible to get higher education paying this petty amount of money? The students of public universities should go to private universities to see how much they spend for just one semester. The amount is higher for engineering and medical students. All the money comes from the government.
Some elements are destroying the academic activities and working hours of the students engaging them in strike for days. The widespread protests and strikes in higher educational institutions could ruin the system.
Discipline must prevail in public universities, students must get their due and appropriate lessons and they must build their lives in a better way. We urge the agitating students and teachers to go back to their respective educational institutions stopping their movement that destroys the country’s higher education sector and creates huge public sufferings.
All know BNP wants to turn the anti-quota movement into anti-government agitations. Therefore, the Awami League must face it politically if anyone tries to give the anti-quota movement a political shape.
