BUET suspends all undergraduate exams amid ongoing protests

The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has suspended all undergraduate examinations scheduled between August 30 and September 18, citing the current unrest among students.

The decision was announced in an emergency notice published on BUET’s official website on Wednesday. Signed by Registrar Professor Dr. N. M. Golam Zakaria, the notice states that all exams across different levels and terms have been postponed due to the evolving situation on campus.

The university further informed that future decisions regarding examinations will be made following discussions in the Academic Council.

The announcement follows widespread protests by students from BUET and other engineering institutions across the country. Initially, students demanded reforms in the recruitment process for ninth-grade engineering posts, including:

Mandatory competitive exams for all candidates;

A minimum qualification of a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, and

A ban on quota-based promotions and the creation of equivalent posts under different titles.

On Wednesday, tensions escalated when clashes broke out between students and police. In response, the protesters expanded their list of demands from three to five and rejected the government-formed committee intended to mediate the dispute.

As of now, BUET has not announced new dates for the postponed examinations.