Titumir College students block road in Mohakhali

Students of Titumir College in Mohakhali staged a road blockade in front of the college on Thursday morning (January 30), demanding its conversion into an independent university.

This protest followed a hunger strike that began on Wednesday evening (January 29), under the banner 'Hang-in-to-death demanding state recognition of Titumir University.'

The students outlined seven key demands, including official state recognition of Titumir as a university and the establishment of its academic calendar.

The other demands of the Titumir College students include:

1. Granting state recognition to Titumir University and publishing its academic calendar.

2. Forming the Titumir University administration to manage admissions for the 2024-2025 session.

3. Ensuring 100% student accommodation or covering students' accommodation expenses.

4. Introducing international standard subjects, such as law and journalism, from the 2024-2025 session.

5. Appointing qualified PhD faculty members to improve academic activities.

6. Limiting the number of seats to improve education quality and securing land and funds for research labs.

On Tuesday, Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, education adviser to the Interim Government, announced plans to form an independent university by separating seven government colleges from Dhaka University (DU). He explained that these colleges were thoughtlessly affiliated with DU eight years ago, leading to complex problems. "A new university will be created from these colleges," he said.

On Monday, the principals of these seven colleges met with DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan to discuss the separation. On Sunday, students from the seven colleges protested in New Market for the creation of an independent university but were met with retaliation from DU students, resulting in injuries.

Following this, the decision was made to separate the colleges from DU.