04/02/26 BUET students to relent once promises kept (bdnews25.wapamp.com/Dhaka)
�The agitating students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) on Friday announced that they are returning to class once the assurances the Education Minister made are implemented. The cautious stance was declared from a press conference at Council building at the university in the afternoon, three days after Minister Nurul Islam Nahid had pledged to them to ensure their security on the campus, among other things. "We are ready to go back to class after full implementation of the minister's assurances that are removal of Pro-VC, withdrawal of cases filed against the agitating students and ensuring measures so that the students are not harassed," said Sudipto Saha, a final-year student of mechanical engineering.. "The BUET students have decided this unilaterally," he further said as he read out a written statement. In the statement, the students referred to the minister's resolve to do everything to revive congenial atmosphere at the university and intervene in case agitating students are subjected to academic injustice or physical or administrative harassment after they end the agitation. "The minister had also informed us steps were already taken for implementing the host of proposals made during the meeting with the teachers. Students believe the Education Minister will sincerely implement all his promises," said Saha. "Students' demand regarding the exit of the Vice Chancellor is very much clear. BUET students want to make it clear that BUET cannot be taken back to its glorious tradition of academic excellence under the current VC and the university as a whole is not safe at all [under the current VC]," he added. "We believe, as part of the ongoing process, the minister will ensure measures to remove the VC." When asked whether delay in implementing the assurances may delay their return to class, he said, "We will return to class right away if the assurances are implemented now." After the press conference, BUET Teachers Association's General Secretary Ashraful Islam said, "Students have overcome their confusion. A working environment has been created. But everybody lacks trust in the VC." He hoped things will start getting normal from Saturday. "Perhaps, we will be able to return to class by next week with the promise from the Education Minister to remove the VC," he added. Minister Nahid had acceded to the demands of the students after they refused to halt nonstop agitation. In an earlier meeting, he had made similar promises to the teachers who then called off their strike on Sep 3. They also insisted on the removal of Vice Chancellor SM Nazrul Islam. BUET teachers began their demonstration in April accusing the VC Islam and Pro-VC Habibur Rahman of a slew of irregularities in the administration. The students also eventually jumped on the bandwagon. In the wake of the joint movement, the BUET authorities had advanced the Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr vacation by a month to close it on July 10 until Aug 24. The decision, however, failed to deter the protesters from going ahead with the movement. The university resumed on Aug 25 but classes and examinations did not take place as the teachers and students pressed on with their protest. The BUET VC on Sep 4 informed journalists that he ordered withdrawal of the cases his administration had filed against a hundred teachers and students on charges of attacking the offices of the VC and Pro-VC, vandalism, ransacking records and looting Tk 300,000.
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