RU students to continue strike

Rajshahi University authorities have decided to put on hold its earlier decision to increase fees, but the move failed to pacify the agitating students because they want both fee hike and the evening classes permamently cancelled.

Vice-Chancellor Muhammad Mizanuddin, at a press conference in Senate Hall at 1pm Saturday, said the decision to increase fees has been put off and urged the students to return to their classrooms.

“The decision to increase fees has been put on hold to avoid chaos in the campus,” he said, clarifying that it was not being entirely withdrawn, but put off for the time being.

Regarding scrapping of the university’s decision to hold evening classes, he said, it could not be done as it was recommended by the academic council and approved by the syndicate.

After hearing his announcement, the students decided to continue the strike and refused to attend classes and sit for tests on Sunday.

They viewed the move to shelve the fee hike as an administrative ‘tactic’ to quell their movement, and demanded that the decision be permanently scrapped.

Addressing a press conference, they said their protests would continue until both their demands were fully met.

The varsity syndicate had on Dec 24 decided on two- to five-fold hike in different categories of fees, including those for exams, to make up for the salary of teachers appointed in addition to the number of posts advertised.

It also decided to begin evening classes for the faculties of social science, law and arts.

The students began agitating against these decisions from Jan 16 and stepped up their movement by resorting to strike from Thursday.

On Saturday, thousands of students, boycotting classes and examinations, joined rallies from residential halls in the morning and went around locking up all the academic buildings in the university.

Students who joined the rallies then met at 'Tukitaki Chattar’.

Six to seven thousand students took out a rally from there. They sang and played musical instruments to convey their message.

The business faculty and administration held separate press conferences to make their positions known.

Dean of business faculty Amzad Hossain, briefing reporters at Dean Bhaban at 11am, said evening classes would continue at any cost.

Separately, Dean of Social Science Prof Ansar Uddin said protesters have misbehaved with the teachers and announced stoppage of all classes and examinations in protest.