Md. Rahad Ali Sarkar-Maritime University Representative
The authorities of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University have issued a notification announcing a reduction in semester fees in response to the demands of students. However, when the reduction was not as expected, the students rejected it and announced that they would not pay the semester fees.
A notice issued by the university on Wednesday (February 12) announced the reduction in semester fees.
The students say that whatever the situation, the semester fee must be reduced as per their demand. The notification has informed about the reduction in semester fee for students of undergraduate and postgraduate programs of the university. Accordingly, the fee for the B.Sc. in Oceanography program in 4 years will be reduced by at least 20 percent to 93,500 taka.
In addition, the BSc in Marine Fisheries program has been revised to 93,000 taka, the BSc in Naval Architecture program to 92,750 taka, the BBA in Port Management and Logistics program to 82,550 taka, and the LLB in Maritime Law program to 84,500 taka.
There has also been dissatisfaction among students over the changed fees. They say that they suspended their agitation and returned to classes and exams after being assured by the university administration and UGC. Now, their assurances are not fully reflected in the changed semester fees.
Stating that the revised fee is still 2-3 times higher than other universities, the students also said that the new semester fee structure is slightly lower than the previous semester fee. Although there was a plan to align with other universities or reduce it by up to 50 percent, it has not been done.
Meanwhile, the university administration said in a statement that after a meeting with the UGC, they were told that since semester fees are an internal matter of the university, they have nothing to do. Considering that, they have decided to reduce the semester fees in coordination with other sectors of the university's current budget.
It has also been said that if the semester fee is reduced, the university will face a revenue deficit of about 5.7 million taka. For this, it will be necessary to make adjustments from the approved budget of the university from the sectors of TA/DA, gratuity, educational tours, books, programs, etc. This has raised concerns about disruption in various facilities for students.
In such a situation, in a statement published on the general student pad, rejecting the changed semester fees, the students said:
1. Students are boycotting the rescheduled semester fees and no one will pay the fees.
2. Students will participate in the upcoming semester final exams on time. If there is any problem with sitting for the exams, students will take strict action.
3. They are ready to take any necessary steps to realize their legitimate demands.
It is worth noting that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University began its journey a decade ago as the 37th public and only maritime university in Bangladesh. While the university has made progress in many areas, students complain that in some areas, a fundamental distance remains with the students.
As part of a post-July Uprising Bangladesh free of discrimination, Maritime University students have been protesting with various demands. One of these demands was to set semester fees in coordination with other public universities.
In continuation of this, the students of the university held meetings with the university administration and UGC at various times. Most recently, after the "long march" towards the UGC, a tripartite meeting was held between the university administration, UGC and the students. There, the students were assured about the semester fees and other demands.
