JU abolishes ward quota following student protests

The Jahangirnagar University (JU) administration has decided to remove the ward quota in admissions following student protests.

"The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Central Admission Test Committee," Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan said while addressing protesting students in front of the administrative building around midnight on Tuesday.

The VC said, "The cancellation of this facility affects various stakeholders of the university, which is why we needed to discuss it. The Admissions Committee also recognized that those benefiting from the facility have many professional rights that remain unfulfilled, and they have been voicing their demands for a long time. Therefore, the committee has decided to form a separate body to assess their institutional facilities."

The decision comes amid ongoing protests and counter-protests by students and JU employees over the ward quota issue.

The demonstrations began on February 2 when a group of JU students, under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding the abolition of the ward quota in university admissions.

However, following the announcement, JU staff staged a counter-strike and called for a work abstention on Wednesday (February 5).