Fee hike triggers protest
RU proctor, teachers confined for about 3 hours
Students of Fine Arts Department of Rajshahi University observe a sit-in in front of the departmental chairman's office after confining him to his room demanding withdrawal of manifold rise in session fees.Photo: STAR
Students of Fine Arts department at Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday confined proctor, department chairman and three teachers to office and classroom protesting abrupt increase in fees for filling up examination forms. The agitating students also vandalised the department's windows, notice board and furniture and burnt an effigy of the department chairman. Sources said, at around 11:30 in the morning students of 2006-07 session staged demonstration in front of the department chairman's office demanding cancellation of the increased fee. The authorities recently hiked the fees for filling up final year examination forms for the session from Tk 350 to Tk 3,030. As the chairman expressed his inability, the protesters along with the students of different sessions locked his office confining chairman Prof Abdul Matin Talukdar and two teachers of the department, Prof Sidhartha Sankar Talukdar and Humayun Kabir, to the room at around 12:00 noon. The students then staged a sit-in in front of the office to press home their demand. On information, RU proctor Prof Chowdhury Zakaria along with an assistant proctor rushed to the department to settle the matter. At one stage, the students confined the proctor, the assistant proctor and Prof Zahid Hossain, a teacher of the department to a classroom at around 12:30pm, as the proctor could not give any assurance to resolve the issue. They also snapped the electricity supply during their confinement to the office and classroom. Hearing the news, RU student adviser Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar rushed to the department and assured the agitating students to place the mater to vice chancellor Prof Abdus Sobhan within 24 hours. Finally, the students freed the proctor, department chairman and three teachers at around 3:00pm. Sources said the students of 2005-06 session paid Tk 350 for filling up forms of final year examinations last year while the students of session 2007-08 have been asked to pay Tk 3,030. Prof Abdul Matin Talukdar, chairman of the department however said they had increased the fees to Tk 5,600 as per directive of the university authorities six months ago. But the department cut the fees to Tk 3,030 after the students raised protest at that time, he said.
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