Manifestos expose issues unresolved at DU for years

The manifestos of the panels contesting the Dhaka University Central Students' Union elections lay bare how the university is still mired in long-unresolved problems even after more than a century of its founding.

From improving food quality and accommodation to expanding healthcare services, six major panels pledge to address issues that have plagued student life for decades. Similar promises were made during the 2019 Ducsu elections -- held after a 28-year hiatus -- but those largely went unfulfilled.

The six panels with similar pledges are: Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal; Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed "Oikyaboddho Shikkharthi Jote"; left-leaning alliance-backed "Pratirodh Parshad"; Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad's "Boishommo Birodhi Shikkharthi Sangsad"; Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad-backed "Ducsu for Change"; and independent panel "Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikya".

Analysing each of their manifestos, The Daily Star found ensuring Ducsu and hall elections every year to be the most common pledge. Some of the other pledges are beyond Ducsu's jurisdiction, though each panel has presented different methods of implementation.

On food: most panels pledged subsidised meals. Pratirodh Parshad said it would not support private-owned canteens, instead vowing to establish university-operated cafeterias. The Shibir-backed panel did not mention direct subsidies but promised to introduce "special meal vouchers" for needy students.

On accommodation: all panels promised a "one seat per student" system at dormitories and vowed to end political exploitation of the seat crisis. Four panels also pledged to introduce "residential allowance" for those unable to secure dormitory seats. Chhatra Dal and Pratirodh Parshad did not include such initiatives.

On healthcare: Boishommo Birodhi Shikkharthi Sangsad and Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikya vowed to introduce insurance schemes to make specialised services affordable, while Oikyaboddho Shikkharthi Jote proposed signing MOUs with private hospitals. Chhatra Dal and Pratirodh Parshad, on the other hand, promised to improve the university's own facilities.

However, food, accommodation, and health services are under the administration's jurisdiction, not Ducsu.

Three other panels are also contesting the central students' union and hall union elections scheduled for September 9.

According to the Ducsu constitution, its mandated functions include maintaining common rooms, providing indoor games, publishing journals and magazines, and arranging debates, cultural events, sports competitions, lectures, and social gatherings. Ducsu is also tasked with fostering social service among its members through lectures, demonstrations, and exhibitions.

But candidates said they identified students' problems and placed their views on such issues because Ducsu also has a mandate to preserve and protect student rights.

On mandated duties, the most detailed plans came from Pratirodh Parshad. It promised to create separate practice rooms for students of dance, drama, music, and fine arts; revamp hall auditoriums; publish magazines; and organise traditional folk festivals. It also pledged to create a sports calendar, expand library facilities, and increase the number of common rooms.

Chhatra Dal promised to organise inter-hall and inter-department tournaments, youth festivals for cultural and creative activities, and promote student involvement in drama, short films, photography, drawing, and recitation.

The Boishommo Birodhi panel pledged to upgrade student clubs and turn TV rooms in dormitories into mini-cinemas, while Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikya promised to renovate basketball courts, table tennis facilities, and the central field.

Notably, none pledged to organise debates, despite this being a core responsibility of Ducsu. Instead, they promised seminars, workshops, research activities, and career fests.

The manifestos also reflected aspirations to transform DU into a research-based, top-class institution. Currently, the university allocates only around 2 percent of its budget to research. Pratirodh Parshad pledged to increase this to 10 percent, while the independent panel proposed 20 percent. The other panels did not specify figures but vowed to improve the situation.

Most panels also pledged to introduce a university-owned transport system with increased routes and trips; extend entry time limits for female dormitories; enhance campus security both on and off site; and protect the greenery of the campus.

Contacted, former DU Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq said, "Since independence, no political party has focused on student issues. Instead, they used the crisis as a tool to mobilise political forces." He added that only the government's goodwill could resolve these problems.