JU deadlock must end

WITH BCL men reportedly foiling anti-VC demonstration and assaulting some agitating teachers in JU matters have come to a head there. Over a year’s unrest at Jahangirnagar University has caused it to be three to four months behind schedule, with fears of further session jams ahead.
What began as a general protest against the appointment of a vice-chancellor has gained momentum with his alleged failure to provide security to students and teachers on campus resulting in the death of a student earlier this year, and his failure to take action against a ruling party student leader who was accused of physically assaulting a teacher. Protests have raged over months with the crisis now having reached an impasse. The government’s recent warning that it would take ‘appropriate action’ to ensure an academic atmosphere has only been met with further discontent.
Surely the right to education, as scheduled and in a secure, peaceful environment is not too much to expect from an educational institution? Not only are the students — whose months of academic backlog means years of struggle ahead — suffering, but the administrative activities of the university have also come to a standstill, with senate, syndicate and academic council meetings missed during this time.
There must be an immediate end to the crisis. We urge all parties involved — the administration, the protesting faculty and the government — to engage in dialogue to end the stalemate for the sake of the thousands of JU students whose future is now in an uncertain limbo.