The New Nation - Internet Edition

JU Correspondent

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) are facing acute problem of session jam due to unscheduled closure, lengthy process of admission tests and negligence of the teachers about their responsibilities. This situation seriously hampers the quality education at the University.

Aftermath of the students' demonstration of Dhaka University in August, JU was closed at a time when the annual examinations of different departments were supposed to be held. After an opening of only 15 days, the university was once again closed for another month on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Ftr and the Durga Puja.

Now, the admission tests for the academic session 2007-2008 have started from November 15 and will continue till 27 of the month. All academic activities of the university will remain closed during this period. As soon as the admission tests are over, the university will go on a long vacation for the winter and the Eid-ul-Ajha.

On the other hand, the teachers of different departments are allegedly spending much of their time in teaching at private universities in Dhaka and are serving with private firms and non-government organizations (NGOs). It is learnt that the teachers of BBA, English, Economics, Urban and Regional Planning (URP), Anthropology, Geology, Bio-Chemistry and some other departments are working in private universities leaving their departments to suffer from marathon session jam. Those teachers show negligence to classes lecture, though, according to the rules of the university, teachers of different levels are supposed to take 12, 10, 8 or 6 classes a week.

On a visit to these departments this correspondent found that the students have to spend about eight years to complete their 5 year long courses. In many departments there are 7 to 8 batches of students in place of regular 5 creating serious congestion in academic activities. Every academic year has students of two categories: old and new.

Sources said, many times the students of these departments submitted memorandum to their respective departmental heads demanding regular classes, holding of examinations and publication of results of the final exams within 3 to 4 months. Though such regularities are supposed to be a part of the usual procedure, they are now unimaginable in many departments. Recently the 4th year (old) students of the English department submitted an application demanding holding of their honours final exam in the first week of January 2008.

A survey among the teachers and students shows that most of them think that politics of the teachers and students is mainly responsible for the session jam in the university. Because of their political factional conflicts, the teachers do not take classes and exams months after months.

The university authorities are found to keep silent over these issues and seem disinclined to take any action against such violation of the existing rules and regulations of the university.

Prof. Shamsul Alom Salim, chairman of the department of Government & Politics said that both the teachers and students should be keener in doing away with session jam.

The VC of the university Prof. Khandakar Mustahidur Rahman told if the teachers of the concerned departments take initiative then it would be possible to remove session jam once for all.