Students of the English Department at Jahangirnagar University staged a protest on Thursday demanding immediate solutions to classroom shortages and perceived departmental inequalities. The demonstration began at approximately 12:30 pm, with participants marching from the university’s newly constructed Kala Bhavan to the front of the Administrative Building, where they held a sit-in and public assembly.
The protesting students argued that repeated discussions with university authorities had failed to yield any meaningful action, compelling them to resort to direct action. They warned that if the administration did not address the crisis promptly, further demonstrations would follow.
During the protest, students addressed the gathering to highlight the gravity of the situation. Sazzad Hossain, a representative of the 50th batch, served as the master of ceremonies. Tahmina, another 50th batch student, explained, “Each batch in the English Department has nearly 90 students. I am not sure if any other department on campus has so many students. Yet we only have three classrooms, one of which is extremely small. Conducting classes under these conditions is practically impossible. On multiple occasions, we have attempted to hold classes in other departments’ classrooms, only to be met with disrespectful and humiliating behaviour. Both our teachers and students were forced out of those classrooms.”
Another 50th batch student, Zahidul Islam, added, “We have met repeatedly with the department head, the faculty dean, and the vice-chancellor, and we were given assurances. But no solution has been implemented so far. If the classroom shortage continues, we are prepared to conduct classes at the Registrar’s building and continue our protest until the situation is resolved.”
Mohammad Ali Chishti, a 53rd batch student and executive member of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU), highlighted the logistical challenges: “Students are deprived of even minimal classroom facilities. When one batch’s class is in session, students of another batch have to wait outside. The larger batch’s classes prevent the smaller batch from proceeding, and vice versa. The department has been operating in disorder for years.”
The protesters issued a series of specific demands:
Allocation of adequate classrooms for each batch.
Immediate resolution of departmental inequalities and logistical issues.
Preventing harassment and disrespectful behaviour from other departments’ students.
The table below summarises the classroom situation for different batches of the English Department:
| Batch | Number of Students | Number of Classrooms | Key Issues |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50th | 90 | 3 | Small classrooms, overcrowding, harassment in other departments |
| 51st | 92 | 3 | Waiting outside classrooms, disruption of sessions |
| 53rd | 88 | 3 | Conflicts between batches, lack of seating space |
The students emphasised that until these problems are addressed, they will continue their sit-in and other forms of peaceful protest. They also called for improved coordination among departments to ensure a conducive learning environment, urging the administration to act decisively to prevent further disruption to academic activities.