Demo to reopen university dorms: PM Hasina directs cabinet to resolve issue

The recent demonstrations by public university students demanding to reopen the dormitories have gotten the attention of the prime minister.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during a cabinet meeting on Monday, gave the instruction to resolve the issue, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said after the meeting.

The prime minister chaired the meeting, attending from her official residence Ganabhaban via videoconference, while the other members of the cabinet were present there at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

“Now the educational institutions are open in European countries other than England. From this point of view, the prime minister instructed the Education Ministry to discuss and think whether we can reopen our educational institutions,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.

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He said that the ministry was asked to sit in a meeting with all the concerned stakeholders to review the present environment to reach a decision regarding the issue. “It [Education Ministry] will review the situation first whether the institutions can be reopened and then will look for ways when and how that can be done,” he added.

At the meeting, the prime minister also asked the authorities concerned to ensure the vaccination of teachers and employees of the educational institutions, furthered Anwarul Islam. “We’ll sit in a meeting with all, including consultants, experts, and law-enforcement agencies by the next five to six days to make a decision on it,” added the cabinet secretary.

Also Read - JU students defy order to vacate halls

A growing number of students at different public universities across Bangladesh have been demonstrating to reopen their residential halls, which have been closed since the government shut down all educational institutions in March 2020 due to Covid-19. 

Students of Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Islamic University in Kushtia, and Rajshahi University, among others, have been staging demonstrations for the last few days.

The students fear that the continuing closure will lead to them falling further behind in academic activities, as online classes have either failed to engage or been inaccessible for many students.