Jagannath University (JnU) became a full-fledged public university in 2005 from Jagannath College, but the university is still functioning on the earlier small-scale college campus.
The government had announced plans to build a new campus with residential halls for the university at Taghoria in Keraniganj in 2016, and 200 acres of land were allocated in 2018 to design a modern campus. However, there has been no progress in eight years except land acquisition.
The dream for JnU’s second campus is now becoming true as a mega project for a complete campus of the university has been approved in the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council).
Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud confirmed the matter while talking to media following a meeting at the ministry on Tuesday (November 12) regarding the five-point demand of JnU students.
The meeting was attended by Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Nahid Islam, JnU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Rezaul Karim, Treasurer Dr Sabina Sharmin, Proctor Dr Tajammul Haque, Professor Rais Uddin, student and teacher representatives, and officials from the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Following the statement of the Education Adviser, the students of Jagannath University announced the withdrawal of their ongoing protests.
Wahiduddin Mahmud said that a new campus for Jagannath University had been pending with the Planning Commission. “I have initiated and pushed for this project in several meetings. A complete new campus would be built in Keraniganj, which would be the first of its kind in Bangladesh,” he added.
The adviser categorically said, in the last ECNEC meeting, the project was approved. “Many students and teachers were unaware of this because the meeting’s resolutions have not yet been released”, he noted.
“I took the initiative to have it approved in the ECNEC meeting. This is a massive, self-sustaining project, the likes of which we have not seen since the establishment of Jahangirnagar and Chittagong universities in the late Pakistan era. This could be seen as a significant mega project for the interim government,” said Wahiduddin Mahmud.
When asked about students’ calls for army involvement, Wahiduddin Mahmud said that the Ministry of Education has no objection to the construction of Jagannath University’s second campus being handed over to the army.
“The students want the army to oversee the project’s implementation, and we have no objections. If the JnU administration, which operates largely autonomously, agrees, the Ministry of Education will support connecting them with the army,” he said.
In response to students’ demands, Wahiduddin Mahmud said, “We understand why students are frustrated by the campus delays and pending land acquisitions. They have raised concerns over alleged corruption involving the project director, which the university should investigate. They may also appoint a new project director if needed.”
The adviser also shared his impressions of the land allocated for the new campus in Keraniganj, calling it a significant and grand area. It is a large site, and a grand plan has been developed for it. This can be considered a flagship mega project under this interim government, and it will begin soon, he said.
He also addressed misunderstandings that had arisen regarding the project. “Much of the confusion stems from the fact that I had already taken action on many issues before the students' movement started. For example, I initiated and passed the first phase and also approved the master plan. The students were not aware of these developments,” he explained.
On Monday, thousands of JnU students staged a demonstration at the Secretariat with a five-point demand, including the request to hand over the second campus project to the army.
Nahid Islam, adviser for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, then assured them that their demands would be addressed within the next three days.
The demands include-- The project director appointed during Sheikh Hasina-led autocratic regime must be brought under legal action, and within seven days, this responsibility should be handed over to competent officers from the army.
Besides, the Ministry of Education must make a specific announcement, along with a clear roadmap, that the second campus project of JnU has been handed over to the army. Immediate steps must be taken to acquire the remaining 11 acres of land, and all agreements made concerning the old campus during the last government’s rule must be cancelled.
Jagannath University must be included in the recently announced pilot project by the UGC. The university’s annual budget allocation should be a minimum of Tk 500 crore.
he Jagannath University began as a school in 1868, established by Kishorilal Roy Chowdhury, a zamindar from Manikganj's Baliati region.
It became Jagannath College in 1947, before embarking on its current status as a full-fledged public university in 2005.
The university initially started with 22 departments under four faculties. Currently, there are 38 departments under six faculties, which are based in 11 buildings on an 11-acre campus, catering to 17,000 students.
As per the project design, this second home for this institution is expected to have high-functioning modern campus buildings, new administrative offices, residential halls, cafeterias, medical centres, sporting grounds, a teacher-student centre (TSC), swimming pool, and lake for recreational purposes.
