BRUR students begin hunger strike demanding end session jam

BRUR Correspondent: Students of the 2021-22 academic sessions of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR), began an indefinite hunger strike on Sunday, demanding an end to the session jam and implementation of their five-point demands. The students started the programme at around 10:00am in front of the main entrance of Academic Building-2 on the university campus. They were chanting slogans including “End session jam, free the students.” The students’ five-point demands include completing the final examination of the 4-1 semester by November and the 4-2 semester examination by March 30 next year. They also demanded that results of each semester be published within four to six weeks of the completion of examinations. They further demanded that no student face discrimination, retaliation or any negative impact on their results, marks or assessment for participating in the movement. They also sought a written assurance from the university administration regarding the implementation of their demands. A protesting student said their academic life had been thrown into uncertainty as the results had not been published even after around 10 months. The prolonged session jam was also disrupting their academic activities and future plans, the student said. The student added that they would continue the movement until the results was published, academic activities were completed within the stipulated time and the session jam was resolved. Another student said the first-semester examination of their third year began in the second week of November and ended in the first week of December. However, nearly 10 months have passed since the examination ended, but the results have yet to be published. Talking about the situation, MdMostafurRahman, head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, said the department was facing some degree of session jam in all academic batches due to various constraints. He pointed to shortages of teachers and classrooms, among other limitations. According to him, the department needs five laboratories but currently has only two, leaving a requirement for three more laboratories. He also said discussions had recently been held with students from different departments to identify the problems and take initiatives to resolve them. However, he said he was not aware of why the 2021-22 academic session students had started the hunger strike. DrMstSifatRumana, chairperson of the examination committee for the 2021-22 academic session, said the responsibility for completing the examination-related work did not rest with her alone. She said delays by several teachers in submitting marks and results had contributed to the delay in publishing the results. She expressed hope that the results would be published on the same day. Prof DrMdFerdousRahman, additional registrar of the university, said the institution was facing some challenges and limitations. He said the results of the 3-1 semester had already been published and efforts were underway to complete the remaining academic activities quickly. He added that students had agreed to attend classes on Fridays and government holidays, if necessary, so that one semester could be completed within six months. He expressed hope that the issue would be resolved soon.