THE affiliation of seven colleges to the University of Dhaka and the tension that has brewed around the issue have been drawn long enough, warranting early government efforts for a meaningful resolution. The seven colleges — Begum Badrunnessa Government Girls’ College, Dhaka College, Eden Girls’ College, Government Bangla College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Government Titumir College and Kabi Nazrul Government College — were governed by the University of Dhaka as other colleges were governed by public universities of respective regions until the establishment of National University, an affiliating collegiate university, in 1992. As the National University could not cope with such a large number of students, the seven colleges were put back under the University of Dhaka in February 2017 keeping to a 2014 decision to put 279 colleges in all back under old private universities. The move, which many welcomed then, created troubles as the University of Dhaka, busy with its own students, could not properly run the seven colleges, often prompting students to hold protests. In a similar manner, four colleges of Rajshahi were put back under the University of Rajshahi and five colleges in Chattogram were put back under the University of Chittagong in 2024.
Several hundred students of the colleges on October 21, 2024, blocked the Nilkhet and the Science Laboratory crossing, obstructing traffic movement in a large part of the capital city, to push for the establishment of an autonomous university to govern the colleges and an outline of the university in a month. The authorities, meanwhile, planned to set up a dedicated unit in the University of Dhaka to deal with the seven colleges. Students of the Government Titumir College on November 18, 2024 held a blockade of Mohakhali, inconveniencing people, to push an upgrade of the college to a university. The students of all the seven colleges have held protests not to remain affiliated with the University of Dhaka and the University of Dhaka students have held protests against the seven colleges. In the latest development, the students of the seven colleges have wanted no further admission test to the colleges while they remain affiliated with the University of Dhaka and an expert committee, instituted earlier, to conduct the admission tests in consultation with the college principals. They have also wanted the number of seats in the seven colleges to be halved for smooth management and that teachers of the seven colleges should evaluate the answer scripts as the University of Dhaka teachers do not take classes in the colleges. The authorities could at least consider taking up the demands for an examination to reach a lasting solution.
But what appears a way out is to put back the seven colleges under the National University — it was established for that purpose — and straighten the issues of the university that hold back a proper, effective administration of the seven colleges. The government should, therefore, deal with the issues seriously for an early resolution.