Acute session jam may grip several reputed public universities pushing thousands of students’ education life as well as career into uncertainty as there is no sign of easing longstanding unrest in those academic institutions.
The current unrest in Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and some other public universities has already affected the academic activities of students there.
All expenditures of higher education in these public universities come from the government fund, in other words, from public taxes. There is no country like Bangladesh, where the public universities provide education to students at such a low cost.
Due to various nonstop movements and violent programmes by a group of students no classes and examinations have been held at these universities for quite a long time, which have subjected the students to a long session jam.
“Session Jam is making our future paralysed. We want to get rid of this situation. Otherwise, our life will be spoiled. Besides, it will be very difficult for our parents to bear our educational expenditure,” a student of Jahangirnagar University said.
A student of BUET said session jam means taking more time for the students to complete their education.
“Actually, we all came here for higher education. We don’t want to witness such unrest on the campus. If the movement and violent programmes continue on campuses, educational environment will also be destroyed. We want a peaceful and friendly campus where we all students will study and conduct research. And practice of free thinking will also be taken place,” the student said.
Expenditure for per student at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University is Tk 4 lakh 69 thousand and 607 and at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University is Tk 3 lakh 26 thousand and 779.
Annual expenditure of Khulna University for a student is Tk 1 lakh 54 thousand and 888. Per annum expenditure for a student is lowest at Jagannath University which is Tk 36 thousand and 95. Around 90 percent expenditure of all the students of public universities comes from government fund.
Regarding the movement of several public universities in the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "I think that no country in the world offers such opportunities at such a small cost to the students like our country. It is true, public universities have autonomy; but who is paying the money? The government is providing all money. Government money goes to the University Grants Commission. From there, salaries and allowances are given to all the university teachers.”
According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), there are 38 public universities in the country beside affiliated colleges and madrasas, national, open and Islamic Arabic schools.
The average expenditure for per student is Tk 1 lakh 13 thousand and 376 at Dhaka University, Tk 87 thousand and 669 at Rajshahi University, Tk 3 lakh 33 thousand and 425 at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Tk 1 lakh 27 thousand and 372 at Bangladesh Engineering University, Tk 92 thousand and 313 at Chittagong University, Tk 99 thousand at Jahangirnagar University, Tk 70 thousand at Islamic University, Tk 1 lakh 20 thousand and 423 at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Tk 3 lakh 26 thousand and 779 at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University.
Former Vice-Chancellor of the National University Dr Syed Rashidul Hasan said, the state is spending all the expense to build a physician, engineer, agronomist. In this situation it is necessary to calculate how much they are giving to the society.
The new generation does not understand by whose money their educational expenses have been born. They are busy in their own development, not in the development of the country or society, he added. Ends
