A formal dialogue between student bodies and administration has ended in Rajshahi University after four months.
At the dialogue, demands were put forward to ensure a free, fair neutral RUCSU election after amending the organogram.
Convener of the RUCSU dialogue committee, proctor professor Lutfur Rahman, says: “The primary dialogue has ended over student union and after assessing the demands raised, a draft will be made.”
Also following discussion with law enforcers, detectives, the overall situation of the campus will be informed to leading administrative figures.
The administration had a four month long dialogue with 12 student bodies and 11 social welfare organisations.
Reportedly, the demand made by the student bodies is in contravention to existing university organogram.
The common demands include: ensuring peaceful co-existence of student bodies, establishment of voting centre at the academic building, bringing voting centres under CCTV cameras, bringing a balance of power between RUCSU president and executive members, forming of an environment council comprising teachers from all parties, withdrawal of restrictions over student bodies, free access of the media into voting centres and not giving preferential treatment to any particular party.
Reportedly, regulations of candidature and age of student may be relaxed. Rajshahi University did not have the student union, RUCSU, election for three decades.
In this time, there has been a phenomenal change in socio-political scenario and politics but the organogram has remained unchanged.
Talking about the thirty year old organogram, chairman of the department of anthropology, assistant professor Bakhtiar Ahmed, says: “With the student union election, students develop a sense of ownership over the university and since society, academic education have both undergone transformation in the last thirty years, the role of the student union also needs to be re-evaluated.”
Assistant professor of the department of folklore, Amirul Islam Kanak, says: “There is considerable doubt as to when the election will be held because the administration does not seem devoted to holding the elections.”
The last RUCSU election was held in 1989-90 session. With the DUCSU election, the RUCSU election has come to the forefront.
