The students of Dhaka University-affiliated seven colleges at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday demanded the outline for an autonomous university in a month.
They raised the demand after the education ministry on December 29 formed a high-level expert committee to prepare an outline to cancel the affiliation and independent institutional structure equivalent to a university in four months.
On behalf of the affiliated colleges, Zakaria Bari Sagor, student of Kabi Nazrul Government College, raised the demand in a written statement at the press conference held on Dhaka College premises.
Although the students welcomed the interim government鈥檚 initiative to form the four-member committee, we find the four-month duration to prepare the outline questionable, said Zakaria.
Zakaria said that the previously formed 13-member committee by the education ministry took six weeks to prepare a report on the matter, which was to be handed over to the newly formed committee.
鈥榃e believe that allocating four months to the new committee is excessive,鈥� said Zakaria, demanding the publication of a gazette notification for establishing an autonomous university with the seven colleges within one month.
Abdur Rahman, a student of Dhaka College, said that students suspended their movement for a separate university due to the government鈥檚 assurance but might took to the street again if the demand was not met.
Students of the DU-affiliated colleges were present at the press conference.
The seven colleges 鈥� Dhaka College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls鈥� College, Eden Mohila College, Government Bangla College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Government Titumir College, and Kabi Nazrul Government College 鈥� came under DU in 2017, and before that the colleges were under the National University.
Under these colleges, about 1.67 lakh students are studying.
Earlier, students of the seven colleges blocked road crossings, boycotted all academic activities, including classes and examinations, staged demonstrations to press their demands for a separate autonomous university.