Dhaka University adopts new decision for students wearing niqab and hijab

There has been a decision about identification of the female students wearing niqab and hijab at Dhaka University.

Considering individual freedom and privacy, this would be done with the help of female teachers, female officers and female employees.

The decision came from a meeting of the deans’ committee held at the vice-chancellor’s office on Thursday.

Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, Professor Niaz Ahmad Khan presided over the meeting.

According to the decision of the meeting, if necessary, the female assistant proctors will assist in verifying female students’ identities.

It has also been reported that the possibility of implementing a biometric system for identification will be evaluated in due course.

Tahmina Akhter Tamanna, a student from 2022-23 session at the Bangla department of the university, posted a status on Facebook on Thursday afternoon, about hijab and niqab after the semester final exam of her department.

She also held a press conference at the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association in evening.

During the press conference Tahmina said that while taking the exam Thursday, the male teacher on vigilance duty gave her the attendance register to sign and took her answer sheet in his hand to sign. Then the teacher asked her to show her face. When she refused, the male teacher left. A while later, a female teacher came and collected her signature.

Tahmina believes that many people face such issues. It needs to be solved. So she posted about it on Facebook. Two hours after publishing the post, the chairman of her department phoned her and assured her that he would look into the matter.

This student made several demands during the press conference. She demanded that students have to be identified through biometric system instead of facial recognition during all written and viva examinations of Dhaka University.

Until the biometric system is introduced, effective measures have to be taken to identify female students with the help of female teachers in examinations and viva, she added.

Plus, incidents of harassment and bullying of female students that have occurred previously have to be properly investigated and action has to be taken against those responsible according to the existing laws of the university and the country, she demanded.