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Published : 02 Feb 2025, 03:28 AM
Protesting students have rejected the education ministry’s statement that the government is giving “special consideration” to their demand for upgrading Government Titumir College to a university.
Dismissing the statement as a mere attempt to appease them, the students urged authorities to stop offering “false hopes”, and announced plans to continue their blockade in Dhaka North.
The demonstration, dubbed the “Barasat Barricade to Dhaka North City,” will continue on Sunday.
Speaking at a media briefing outside the campus at 8pm on Saturday, Mahamudur Rahman Muktar, a representative of the protesters, reaffirmed their stance: “From the beginning, Titumir’s demand has been a university, and we stand by it. It has been 72 hours since our movement began, and four hunger strikers have been hospitalised.
“The state must make its position clear. We moved from Mohakhali and later from Gulshan in the evening, ensuring at every point that our protest does not cause public suffering. But the government refuses to listen.
“If the authorities want a discussion, they must say so directly. There is no need to dangle empty promises—students are no longer willing to be placated with vague assurances.”
Calling on the ministry to send a qualified representative for negotiations, Muktar said: “Two days ago, you sent someone who spoke to the students but had no understanding of their concerns. After the 2024 revolution, the administrative structure has changed, with competent individuals brought in—so do not send anyone unprepared to engage with the students.
He said, “We had a deadline of 4pm and we are open for further discussion. But we reject the statement given to us by the ministry. The general students will not accept the ineffective notice in any way."
He emphasised that the seven-point charter of demand of Titumir College has distilled into a single one--the formal declaration of Titumir College as a university.
Reiterating the call for a competent representative, he urged the government to send someone authorised to make the official announcement on behalf of the state, as students are eager to return to classes.
“Why has it become an unwritten rule that unless there is public disruption—no traffic congestion, no unrest—the state refuses to engage? This mindset must change. The government must recognise students' emotions and send a qualified representative who can truly negotiate.”
Noting that students have no immediate plans to announce new programs, the representative added: “Our hunger strike continues, and the ‘Barasat Barricade to Dhaka North City’ protest, announced on Friday, will persist until the state formally recognises Titumir College as a university.”
He added, “Out of consideration for Ijtema pilgrims, we kept the movement relaxed until the afternoon.”
Earlier, students had announced that the blockade and demonstrations would be eased from 6am to 11am on Sunday.
In the wake of the student movement, the Dhaka University authorities have already decided to cut ties with seven colleges affiliated to it.
The authorities said the university will no longer oversee the admissions process of the seven colleges affiliated with it, starting from the 2024-25 session.
The government is working on a plan to set up an independent university for these seven major government colleges. A committee headed by the University Grants Commission, or UGC, chairman is working to give institutional structure to the colleges.
The seven colleges 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.
Meanwhile, the students of Government Titumir College have been protesting for a separate university for themselves. They have also put up a banner reading “Titumir University” on the entrance of the campus. Several students have also launched a hunger strike outside the college demanding the government announcement in this regard since Tuesday evening.
Their programme to block the road outside the campus in Dhaka’s Mohakhali has been going on in phases since Thursday. Vehicles and passengers faced undue hardships in traffic triggered by the road blockade.
Amid the hunger strike and other programmes, Titumir College students launched a road blockade event in the Dhaka North City Corporation area from 4pm on Saturday, which they call “Barasat Barricade to Dhaka North City”.
Meanwhile, the education ministry issued a statement urging protesters to "remain patient" and refrain from any activities that could "disrupt public life or interfere with the college's regular academic operations”.
Siraj Ud Daula Khan, senior information officer at the ministry, told bdnews24.com: “The [UGC] chairman’s committee, tasked with establishing an independent institutional framework for the seven colleges, is also working on the demand to upgrade Government Titumir College into a university. They have been assigned this responsibility.
“That is why the ministry has urged protesters to refrain from actions that could cause public inconvenience.”
The statement said the government is aware of the ongoing movement regarding Titumir College’s university status.
“The ministry wants to clarify that an expert committee, headed by the UGC chairman, is working towards establishing a separate university comprising the seven historic colleges of Dhaka. The matter of Titumir College is being given special consideration," it read.
“The committee has already begun discussions with student representatives from Titumir College and the other six institutions to address their concerns.
“Enhancing educational opportunities and improving quality at these colleges remains the government’s top priority, with all possible alternatives under review.”
The ministry reassured that the government remains “attentive and sympathetic” to the legitimate demands of students and teachers.
However, the protesters did not respond to the call and blocked the Mohakhali-Gulshan road outside their campus around 4:30pm. At 5:15pm, hundreds of students took out a protest march from the college campus and moved from Mohakhali to Gulshan-1. At around 7:45pm, they sat on the road at Gulshan-1 roundabout.
They then returned to the campus at 8pm. The blockade programme was also in force outside the college at 10pm.
