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Published : 28 Jan 2025, 02:21 AM
Following prolonged protests, students of the seven affiliated colleges have received the long-awaited news—they are no longer bound by affiliation.
However, the process of how these government colleges will proceed with admissions and operations has raised concerns, as indicated by the chair of the committee tasked with outlining the colleges’ future structure.
After eight years of conflict, clashes, and protests, the announcement on Monday afternoon marked a historic moment.
The seven colleges, which were affiliated with Dhaka University, are set to chart their path of "honourable separation," granting students their much-desired autonomy.
Months of demonstrations and road blockades have culminated in this decision, freeing some of Dhaka's largest government colleges.
But has the battle truly ended?
New complexities are emerging, as highlighted by the chairman of the University Grants Commission, or UGC, Prof SMA Faiz, who leads the high-level committee formed by the education ministry to draft a structural framework for the colleges.
Prof Faiz told bdnews24.com on Monday evening: "The admission process for the seven colleges is not under the committee’s jurisdiction yet. Whatever decisions Dhaka University and the principals of the seven colleges have made is their matter. If the education ministry instructs us, we will convene to discuss the issue."
He also said the committee’s progress in developing the institutional framework has been limited, adding to the uncertainty about how and when the seven colleges will handle admissions for the upcoming academic session.
Earlier in the day, it was decided that Dhaka University will no longer handle student admissions for the seven colleges starting with the 2024-25 academic year.
Current students will, however, continue under the existing system for academics and examinations.
Prof AKM Elius, the principal of Dhaka College, one of the seven colleges, said that the education ministry’s committee recommendations would determine how the colleges will be run.
"The committee hasn’t fully started its work, so we are still considering the admission process for the upcoming academic session," he said.
While other universities have begun their admission processes, a separate admission notice for the seven government colleges has also been issued.
The seven colleges in question are Dhaka College, Government Bangla College, Government Titumir College, Eden College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, and Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College.
Following a meeting with Dhaka University VC Niaz Ahmed, Dhaka College Principal Prof Elius held a press conference on Monday afternoon, where he said student admissions at the seven affiliated government colleges would not occur until an independent institutional framework was finalised.
This new framework will replace the previous affiliation to Dhaka and National universities.
However, on Jan 6, a notice was issued to conduct admission tests under Dhaka University for undergraduate first-year students of the 2024-2025 academic session.
The online application process began the same day and was scheduled to continue until Feb 12.
According to the admission notice, written admission tests were to start on Apr 18.
In the previous academic session, the exams were held in May after the completion of Dhaka University's admission process.
With the new decision, the fate of this admission notice remains uncertain.
Prof Elius said, “From the 2024-25 academic year, students will not be admitted under Dhaka University. The new framework will start functioning once student admissions are carried out. However, the principals of the seven colleges have agreed that the ongoing exams will continue under Dhaka University.”
“We are in the middle of several exams, and we want to complete them. The university has agreed to this. The exams will proceed with the students' consent. A few exam dates have been rescheduled, and we will provide new dates based on the circumstances,” he added.
Regarding the new institutional framework, the Dhaka College principal said: “As the government has formed a high-level committee, we, the principals and department heads of the seven colleges, were invited to present our position. We discussed how this aligns with the students’ expectations.”
“The committee has said that after consulting with the teachers, they will also speak to eminent academics before making a decision. They plan to establish a new framework independent of both universities, but discussions about the structure and details are yet to take place,” he continued.
When asked about the progress of drafting the framework for an independent institutional structure equivalent to a university for the seven colleges, Prof Faiz, the head of the committee, said: “We are in discussions with stakeholders, but the work has not progressed significantly yet.”
WILL THE AFFILIATION DEADLOCK FINALLY BREAK?
At least four and a half hours of clashes erupted on Dhaka University campus late Sunday night as university students and students from seven affiliated colleges became embroiled in violent confrontations.
By the early hours of Monday, Dhaka University authorities announced an emergency meeting.
Later in the afternoon, Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan met with the principals of the seven colleges.
Following the meeting, at a press briefing around 2:30pm, the vice-chancellor announced: "A decision has been made for the honourable separation of the seven affiliated colleges from Dhaka University."
The meeting resulted in five key decisions:
UNCERTAINTY LOOMS AFTER COLLEGE AFFILIATIONS CANCELLATION
The cancellation of the affiliations of seven government colleges has raised the most pressing question: under whose jurisdiction will these colleges now fall? How will their admission process be handled? Will they return to the National University’s control? Who will issue their certificates? These questions remain unanswered.
When asked for clarification, UGC Chairman Prof Faiz told bdnews24.com on Monday night: “The responsibility for admitting students to the seven colleges is not yet with the committee. What decisions have been made by Dhaka University and the principals of the seven colleges is their matter. If the education ministry instructs us to take action, we will sit down and discuss it.”
On Dec 29, the education ministry formed a four-member expert committee to draft a framework for establishing an independent institutional structure equivalent to a university for the seven colleges.
The UGC chairman has been appointed head of this committee.
As the interim government continues its efforts to establish an independent framework for the seven colleges, experts believe that the uncertainty surrounding the cancellation of affiliations could only deepen the crisis.
THE PATH TO A SOLUTION
Dhaka College Principal Prof Elius told bdnews24.com on Monday evening, “The Dhaka University will temporarily oversee the academic responsibilities of our students. However, they will not be involved in the admission process. A specialised committee formed by the education ministry will outline a separate institutional framework, which will then take over the responsibilities of the seven colleges.
“For now, apart from admissions, there is no immediate crisis facing the colleges. The Dhaka University administration has assured us full cooperation with the new framework once it is established. If the committee provides a structural outline to begin the admission process, the crisis will be resolved as the institutional framework will eventually take over the management of the seven colleges.”
EDUCATION MINISTRY ‘IN DARK’
There has been no final decision regarding how the academic and educational activities of the colleges will proceed after their de-affiliation.
Even the Ministry of Education remains in the dark on this matter.
When contacted for comment, Siddiq Zobayer, senior secretary of the ministry’s Secondary and Higher Education Division, did not respond to the call.
However, Nurun Akhtar, the additional secretary of the university branch in the division, told bdnews24.com on Monday evening: “I have not yet received any decision from the Dhaka University and the principals of the seven colleges. Once an official decision is made, we will review the matter.”
HOW THE DECISION FOR AFFILIATION WAS MADE
Once, all degree colleges in the country were managed under the universities of Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, and the Agricultural University.
In 1992, the then BNP government affiliated the public colleges with the National University, removing them from the control of public universities.
However, the National University struggled to manage such a large number of colleges, leading to significant challenges.
Delays in exams and result publication resulted in long session jams.
Academic activities stagnated, and questions were raised about the quality of degrees.
Students even took to the streets, citing allegations of discrimination in employment.
At the end of 2014, then prime minister Sheikh Hasina visited the education ministry and directed the affiliation of 279 government colleges under the National University to be transferred to the old public universities at the divisional level.
The following year, during a meeting with the UGC she urged to expedite the process of bringing the government colleges under public universities.
As part of this initiative, on Feb 16, 2017, the seven prestigious government colleges in Dhaka were removed from the National University and brought under the University of Dhaka.
At that time, it was decided that Dhaka University would handle the admissions, curricula, and examinations for these colleges.
At the time, the National University oversaw 2,154 colleges with more than 2 million students.
In contrast, the seven colleges affiliated with the Dhaka University had 167,236 students and 1,149 teachers at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The government had planned to continue the process of affiliating other public colleges with public universities, but after the seven colleges, the initiative stalled.
Without a long-term plan, the sudden move of affiliating the seven colleges with Dhaka University led to administrative and academic issues.
Students protested over issues like harassment at the university's registrar office, delays in publishing the academic calendar, session jams, delayed results, flawed results, and record numbers of failed students.
Eight years later, these issues remain unresolved, and the situation has only become more complex.
[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]
