The left-leaning student coalition Protibodh Parishad, comprising seven student organizations, has announced an 18-point manifesto ahead of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election.
A key pledge is to ensure dormitory seats for first-year students under administrative supervision.
The manifesto was presented on Sunday at a press conference held near Madhu’s Canteen, where General Secretary candidate Meghmallar Basu highlighted the coalition’s commitments.
Among the major promises are banning gonoroom, guestroom practices, and ragging through the introduction of a “Campus Charter,” securing 10% of the university budget for research, and clearly specifying the dates of central and hall union elections in the academic calendar.
The council also pledged to work for the preservation of languages, cultures, and traditions of all ethnic groups in the plains and hill regions, and to ensure equal rights and dignity for all communities.
Key Highlights of the 18-Point Manifesto:
Reforming DUCSU structure and expanding its powers, including ensuring more elected student representation in the Senate.
Prohibiting commercialization and privatization of education, scrapping UGC’s IMF- and World Bank-backed strategic papers.
Allocating at least 10% of the budget to research and modernizing labs.
Ending hall seat occupation and violence, ensuring administrative allocation of dorm seats from the first year.
Banning gonoroom, guestroom practices and ragging; installing effective CCTV in halls.
Establishing women-friendly policies, such as vending machines, eliminating discriminatory rules, and allowing equal hall access.
Launching administrative cafeterias in halls to replace private canteens.
Upgrading the university medical center to a 100-bed facility, establishing a mental health support center, and promoting drug-free campus initiatives.
Keeping the central library open 24/7 and setting up a new library building.
Reviving the university press and initiating a full-fledged translation center to promote higher education in Bangla.
Recovering encroached university land, arranging regular literary and cultural programs, and organizing annual folk festivals.
Purchasing DU-owned buses instead of relying on BRTC rentals.
Drafting a sports calendar aligned with the academic calendar, with special attention to women’s participation.
Protecting the environment and ensuring campus sustainability.
Ensuring autonomy by abolishing undemocratic provisions in the 1973 Ordinance, minimizing government interference in academic and administrative matters.
Establishing archives and research grants to preserve the history of the Liberation War and democratic movements, including the 1990 anti-autocracy and 2024 mass uprisings.
The Protibodh Parishad positioned its manifesto as a progressive, inclusive, and student-empowering blueprint for a democratic and modern Dhaka University.
