THE Covid-19 pandemic has clouded the careers of around 250,000 students of the seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University. Uncertainty hovers upon their life with the prolonged vacation in educational institutions that blurred their future as well. With the pre-existing challenge over exams in the seven affiliated colleges, the pandemic made their suffering too acute. Many academics earlier opposed the government’s decision to bring the large colleges under DU administration that eventually trapped the students in uncertainty. The government must come up with relief for the students to enable them to compete in the job market by separating them from DU or smartly conducting their affairs under DU.
Students allege that the university authorities are indifferent to their problems. So far, the students say the authorities have not taken a single step to mitigate their concerns. A query on a Facebook group of Dhaka University-affiliated college students has revealed that their exam results haven’t been released yet. The exams were held some nine months back. These students also slammed the authorities for their failure to conduct remote classes.
The DU authorities have recently decided to start classes for new sessions without conducting previous exams to enliven academic activities. The decision was taken following a meeting with the principals of DU-affiliated colleges on 20 October. Students of the academic sessions 2015-16 and 2016-17 are the worst sufferers, being stuck in the same year for about 27 months now. Some students are even thinking of launching an indefinite agitation to press for their demands.
Some students are also in favor of ending the association of these seven colleges with Dhaka University. They have taken to the streets several times since the affiliation of their students in 2017. We call the government to employ DU to look into the seven college affairs thoroughly; thus they can treat with dignity and equal treatment like regular DU students. Otherwise, revert the decision may relieve them from session jam and unequal treatment.
