National Uni students warn of tougher movement if exams don’t start this week

The protesting students of the National University on Thursday swiped left on the new schedules for all postponed examinations and gave an ultimatum for holding exams either from this week or early March.

They also warned the government of waging a tougher movement from next Sunday if their demands are not met.

The students have postponed their protest at Shahbagh in the capital after the National University authorities announced the new exam schedules, but gave a three-day ultimatum for announcing a new schedule, Alifa Khushbu, coordinator of the protest programme, told The Business Standard.

According to a National University press release issued on the day, all postponed examinations, including the second-year exam of Degree pass and certificate course of 2019 and final year master's exam of 2018, will begin from 24 May.

Besides, the admission test process for the first year of the 2020-21 academic year will start on 8 June, the press release said.

Earlier, at around 10am on Thursday morning, students of different government colleges staged a demonstration in the capital's Shahbagh intersection, protesting the government's decision to postpone the exams.

At one stage, police dispersed them from the city's one of the busiest roads and detained around 15 students from there, claimed Alifa Khushbu, also a student of Siddheswari University College.  

Later, students locked in a scuffle with policemen. Hurun Or Rashid, additional deputy commissioner (Lalbagh Zone), along with other police personnel termed the protesters "men of Nuru (former Ducsu VP)".   

After the detention, over 100 students took a position in front of the Public Library at 11.45 pm and were again caught in a tussle with police.

At around 2 pm, they gathered in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture area. The Dhaka university administration too removed them from the area.

Around 13 students were released from the DB office eight hours after their detention.

During the protest, Deputy Commissioner of DMP' Ramna Zone Sajjadur Rahman said they would release the detainees after checking their identities. By the evening, police released all the detainees.

On 22 February, the NU authorities postponed all sorts of examinations until further notice following a decision from the education ministry.  On the same day, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said the government had decided to reopen public and private universities on 24 May. The residential halls of public universities will reopen on 17 May.

Meanwhile, at least eight people, including a journalist, were injured as police charged batons on protesting NU students in Netrokona on Thursday.

Students of the Netrokona Government College and other district-level educational institutions formed a human chain to press home their five-point demands, including the reopening of educational institutions and holding of all the postponed exams in the shortest possible time.

Besides, students in Rangpur, Barishal, Cumilla, Tangail and some other districts staged demonstrations, demanding new schedules for the postponed exams.

Students of Jahangirnagar University and Chattogram University, Cumilla University and Barishal University also expressed solidarity with the protesting NU students and they also demanded the reopening of their respective universities and halls immediately.    

Meanwhile, students of Home Economics College staged a demo in front of their college, demanding the continuation of their scheduled exams. The students initially blocked the Nilkhet-Azimpur road and police dispersed the protesters instantly.

The students claimed that some of their fellows were injured in a scuffle with police.

"If the exams of DU affiliated seven colleges are to be held, then ours should take place too," Ayesha Siddika, one of the protesting students, said adding that their fourth-year final exams, which were set to start from Thursday, have been postponed.

She also alleged that policemen and the university authorities beat them.

Expressing concern over session jam, the protesting students said if the exams do not take place, they will face a two-year study gap. Later, the students went inside the college gate and protested.

Earlier on Wednesday, students from seven DU-affiliated colleges staged demonstrations, demanding exam schedules and the government met their demand.