JU Correspondent

Jahangirnagar University (JU) authorities have decided to abolish the ward quota and a committee formed to provide institutional facilities among the teachers, officials and employees of the university amid protest.

The decision was taken in an emergency meeting of the Central Admission Test Management Committee under the chairmanship of JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan on Tuesday night.

Earlier, the campus had witnessed a series of protests against the ward quota and the authorities reformed the quota as a consequence.

Following the decision by the authorities to reform the quota, university officials and employees protested in front of the new administrative building on Tuesday morning, demanding that ward quota be fully reinstated.

Meanwhile, protesting students brought out a procession from Bottola at midday, through several dorms before assembling in front of the administrative building to demand the complete abolition of the ward quota.

In response, the university officers and employees unions declared an indefinite strike to protest the decision.

In the tense situation, the university administration held an emergency meeting in the afternoon, chaired by the VC.

JU VC Prof Kamrul Ahsan said, “We revoked the ward quota in the entry test. However, we constituted a committee for enhancing ‘institutional facilities’ for the teachers, students and employees of the university.”

Following the declaration of ‘institutional facilities’ for the teachers and officials, the controversy arose on the campus about what will be the scope of ‘institutional facilities’.

JU Pro-VC (Academic) Prof M Mahfuzur Rahman said, “We revoked the ward quota not in the name only. We don’t bring back the ward quota in another form. However, we have to consider the longstanding demands including financial well-being of the teachers and officials.”

“The terms and references including the scope have yet to be constituted for the newly formed committee to consider the matters,” he added.