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Jagannath University, which evolved from a 200-year-old school into a public university in 2005, marked its 20th founding anniversary on Monday.

Despite its historic legacy, the university located in Old Dhaka, is fraught with persistent infrastructural and academic crises, hindering its progress towards becoming a fully functional public institution.

Sajibur Rahman, a student of the Department of Islamic History and Culture, expressed his frustration, saying, ‘The ongoing infrastructural and academic crises deeply affect both the quality of education and our mental well-being.’

‘The absence of residential facilities, limited research opportunities and an inadequate number of teachers hinder not only our studies but also our future prospects,’ he said.

The vice-chancellor, Professor Rezaul Karim, however, remains optimistic, ‘Since its inception, the university has progressed at an unprecedented pace. With collective effort and cooperation, we will continue to overcome challenges and move forward.’

The university now operates across eight buildings on seven acres of land, accommodating 38 departments and two institutes. 

Severe classroom shortages have caused overcrowding, with some departments having five active batches sharing only two or three classrooms, forcing teachers to hold classes in shared or makeshift spaces.

The teacher-student ratio at the university, which is one teacher for 27 students, is also larger than the one set by the University Grants Commission standards, which is one teacher for 20 students.

Jagannath University currently for its around 18,000 students has 666 faculty members—155 professors, 183 associate professors, 276 assistant professors and 52 lecturers.

Session jams have worsened the situation, with up to seven batches studying simultaneously in some departments.

Accommodation remains one of the university’s most pressing problems, as currently there are no residential facilities for students except for a single dormitory for female students.

JnU, however, claim legal ownership over 11 student halls scattered over different locations in Old Dhaka, but they have possession over only three of them, while the eight others are still illegally occupied allegedly by politically powerful ones and those sheltered by them.

Of the three student residential halls, one is designated for female students, while repairs are ongoing in the rest two.

Following a fierce movement by the JnU students, the government allocated accommodation allowances in the national budget, but students have yet to receive them.

As a result, the high cost of living in Dhaka city continue to puts pressure on their pockets.

The central library also reflects similar inadequacies, with only 58 tables and 350 chairs—far from sufficient for its large number of students.

Students and teachers are also dissatisfied with the books, saying that its storage of over 31,000 books does not have many essential titles among them, while they say internet facilities are also inadequate for research and study.

The lack of achievement in the field of research and studies is telling—only 27 publications in the past two decades.

For the last three fiscal years, over Tk 20 crore has been allocated for research and studies for the university.

In the 2025–2026 fiscal year, the university has allocated Tk 8.30 crore for research, which was somewhat less than Tk 9.20 crore allocated in 2024–2025. In 2023–2024, the allocation was Tk 3.22 crore.

It also lacks basic facilities, including sports field, gymnasium and modern research infrastructure, leaving both faculty and students handicapped.

Transport and healthcare woes further add to student distress as the university operates only 23 buses, two of which have been out of service for years, while the medical centre runs with just two physicians and limited infrastructure. 

The renovation of the university auditorium had remained stalled allegedly due to bureaucratic delays by the Dhaka South City Corporation.

Although work officially began on February 7 this year after months of complications, less than 20 per cent has been completed in eight months. 

To address the growing crisis, the government launched a second campus project in 2018 at Teguria in Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka, allocating the university nearly 200 acres of land, but the first phase of the project has yet to be finished allegedly due to administrative complications and negligence by the contractor.