Session jams have meant studentsof Jagannath University’s 2005-2006 session are still in 8thsemester
While students of 2005-06 academic year in most other public universities have already taken the 31st Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination and entered the life of regular service, students of the same session in Jagannath University (JnU) are still waiting and fretting. Waiting for the next 32nd BCS exam next year, and fretting over whether they would cross the cut-off age limit of 30 years. While the degree that was to take them four years still remain a pipe dream as session jams have meant it is taking seven years, students of the batch and even some teachers allege the university authorities seem to be in no hurry.
According to some senior teachers and students of the university, mismanagement and negligence of the authorities are primarily responsible for this impasse.
Jagannath University began on October 20, 2005 with 2,300 students in its inaugural academic year — 2005-06 — but it failed to complete the first batch students’ Honours courses as the university continues its education system in semester system to complete the four-year Honours programme in due time. In the semester system, the university has divided each four-year Honours course into eight semesters of six months each.
But in JnU, each semester takes 11 months to end.
According to the university registrar’s office, the first batch students’ Honours classes started from July, 2006. As per the university’s semester system rules, they were scheduled to attend their first semester final exam on December the same year but due to mismanagement and negligence the first semester exam was held in May 2007.
The students were scheduled to complete their Honours courses in July 2010 but as of this month they are still stuck in the eighth semester, as some departments are still preparing to hold the seventh semester exams of the students of the opening batch.
‘The Independent’ spoke with chairmen and senior teachers of JnU’s 28 departments to find the reason behind this delay and while most of them agreed that the university faces some problems but they could have been overcome if the authorities had been more careful and attentive in managing the situation from degenerating.
Sumon, Kamal, Jakia, Borna and Jannat — all students of Chemistry department from the university’s first batch — said: “We have already failed to sit for the 31st BCS examination due to session jam and we think we will also fail to sit for the 32nd BCS exam if the university authorities take initiative action into it. Some of our friends who got admission in Dhaka University are already employed and sat for the 31st BCS but we are still students!”
Asked about the mismanagement of the university authorities that led to session jams, JnU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mesbahuddin Ahmed refused the allegation. He said: “To erase session jam, we are holding regular meetings with different department chairpersons and deans. We are also discussing the problem at academic council meetings and we hope to address the problem soon.”
-With The independent input
