Bhasani University
Students agitate for month to rename degree
Academic and administrative activities at Maolana Bhasani University of Science and Technology in Tangail are suffering badly as the students of three of its seven departments have continued agitation for the last one month demanding BSc (Engineering) degree instead of BSc (Honours) degree.
To press for the demand, around 750 students belonging to different years of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (BGE), Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) and Food Technology and Nutritional Science (FTNS) Departments formed human chains on the campus and staged sit-in in front of the administrative building yesterday.
Students of BGE and ESRM departments also locked the department buildings but a police team later broke the locks.
As the agitating students observed their programme defying the authorities' ban that was imposed earlier, a police team led by an assistant superintendent of police of Tangail reached the campus immediately after getting information from the university authorities.
Earlier on August 10, the university authorities served show cause notices to eight students of BGE department and 14 students of FTNS department for holding agitation programmes on the campus defying the ban.
To press for their demand, the students of three departments started boycotting their classes and examinations on July 20.
They also observed token hunger strikes and formed human chains on the campus, held press conferences at Tangail Press Club and gave memorandum to the university authorities including the vice chancellor, the registrar and teachers of the departments concerned for the purpose.
Claiming that BSc (Engineering) degree will help to keep them 'fit' in the job race, the agitating students of the three departments said they will not join classes and examinations until they get a positive announcement about their demand.
When contacted, Prof Nurul Islam Miah, vice-chancellor of the university, said, "The students have taken admission to this university to get the honours degree. Following agitation of the students of the three departments, I have held an urgent meeting with all the teachers and chairmen of the departments. On the basis of the opinions of experts and the departmental teachers on the syllabus of the three disciplines, the meeting decided that there is no scope to change or rename the degrees."
“I have directed the students of the three departments to join their classes as all the examinations of the university will be held in time,” he added.
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