Nahid Islam, the advisor to the Ministry of Education, has pledged to address the five-point demands of Jagannath University (JnU) students within three days.
Acknowledging the legitimacy of the students' grievances, the Education adviser stated, "I completely agree with the students; their demands are justified."
Nahid made this promise to the students in front of the Secretariat on Monday at around 3:30 PM, emphasizing the challenges faced by JnU students due to a lack of dormitory facilities. He agreed that their demand for a second campus was entirely valid.
"Jagannath University students endure significant hardships. They have no halls. While we cannot construct new dorms in just three days, we can expedite the process by transferring the necessary work to the Army. We are committed to transferring the second campus to the Army within three days and will take all necessary steps to make it feasible," Nahid explained.
Addressing complaints that a Secretary had insulted the students earlier, Nahid said, "The Secretary and other officials who have disrespected the students will issue an apology for their behavior."
The students insisted on their demands, declaring, "We are giving you three working days. Additionally, we need a resolution on the HIT Project today. The Education Advisor must present a final decision before us today."
The five-point demands of JnU students:
1. Hold the project director, appointed during the autocratic regime, accountable under the law and hand over the project responsibilities to competent Army officers within seven days.
2. Announce a clear outline from the Ministry of Education, confirming that the second campus project has been handed over to the Army.
3. Take immediate action to acquire the remaining 11 acres of land and annul all agreements related to the old campus made during the autocratic government era.
4. Include Jagannath University in the recently announced UGC pilot project.
5. Allocate a minimum annual budget of 500 crore BDT for the university.
The Education Advisor assured the students of concrete measures to address these demands, emphasizing the government's commitment to improving the university's infrastructure and academic environment.
