Proposed Dhaka Central University: New crisis centering 7 colleges

A new crisis has emerged centering the seven major colleges in Dhaka. Teachers and students of these colleges have taken different stances over the structure of the university to be formed merging these seven colleges.

Meanwhile, the education ministry published a draft ordinance for the proposed university on Wednesday.

The name of the proposed university is ‘Dhaka Central University’. The seven colleges will be academic campuses. Each campus will have separate disciplines.

The teachers are saying that they are not against the proposal of the university. They feel if the university is founded on the basis of the proposed structure, then opportunities of higher studies and women's education will shrink and the independent structure and tradition of these colleges will be vanished. Even the post under the BCS education cadre could face the risk of elimination.

The teachers of these seven colleges held separate human chains on their own college campus simultaneously in protest of the proposed structure.

They say they are not against the proposal of a single university for the seven colleges. However, the university must have a separate campus.

These seven colleges are – Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Begum Badrunnesa Women’s College, Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul College, Bangla College and Titumir College.

There are more than 150,000 students and more than 1,000 in these colleges. Of these colleges, Eden College and Titumir College offer only graduate and post graduate degrees. The remaining five have college sections too.

Higher secondary students of these colleges say that if a university is established under the proposed structure, the higher secondary level would face an existential crisis.

Higher secondary students of Dhaka College protested in front of the college on Wednesday. They fear that under the proposed structure, higher secondary education programmes would be adversely affected.

On the other hand, students at graduation and post-graduation level at these colleges have been waging a movement demanding a university for a long time.

Speaking regarding this, University Grant Commission (UGC) member and convener of the committee formed for preparing a draft ordinance for the proposed university, professor Mohammad Tanjim Uddin Khan told Prothom Alo that their task was to prepare a draft ordinance for an independent university. They are done with that. The education ministry will set the next course of action.

Officials from the Ministry of Education have said that opinions on the draft ordinance can be submitted within seven working days. After that, consultations with stakeholders will take place before the next decision is made.

However, an official from the Ministry of Education added that, according to the current structure, the colleges will continue to operate for the next few years.

The seven colleges were brought under the authority of Dhaka University back in 2017 without adequate preparations. The crisis started from that point. The authorities later declared to separate the seven colleges from Dhaka University this year.

However, the situation became more complicated when affiliation was cancelled even before the new university was finalised. Currently, the activities of the seven colleges are being managed on an interim basis, with the principal of Dhaka College appointed as the administrator.

According to the draft ordinance, academic activities at the university will be conducted under four divisions. Under the School of Science, Dhaka College will offer applied mathematics, zoology, data science, biochemistry, and biotechnology; Eden Mohila College will offer physics, applied chemistry, botany, and forensic science; and Begum Badrunnesa College will offer psychology and environmental management.

Under the School of Arts and Humanities, Bangla College will offer subjects including journalism and media studies, development studies, economics, film studies, and international politics.

Under the School of Business, Titumir College will offer accounting, human resource management, hotel and hospitality management, marketing and sales, and bank and insurance management. Under the School of Law and Justice, Kabi Nazrul College will offer law, and Suhrawardy College will offer criminology.

The university will operate in a ‘hybrid’ model, with 35 to 40 per cent of classes conducted online and the rest held in person. Examinations will also be conducted in person.

A Ministry of Education official told Prothom Alo that teachers qualified to serve at the university will be allowed to continue. However, some teachers have expressed concern that the problems faced when Jagannath College was converted into a university could recur under the proposed structure.