Use of fake DU ID cards goes on unabated
Existing ID card of DU that can be easily duplicatedPhoto: STAR
Selim Khan, a student of English department at Dhaka University (DU), was flabbergasted when his latest private student's father questioned about his identity as a DU student.
After a series of arguments, Selim finally managed to convince the suspicious guardian that he is indeed a student of Dhaka University. As the matter was solved, he could not resist the temptation to ask the guardian about the cause of his suspicion.
"He told me that another person used to tutor his son claiming that he was a student of Dhaka University. But that tutor turned out to be quite incompetent as a private tutor. Later, that person, posing as a DU student with a false identity card, turned out to be a student of Government Titumir College," said Selim.
Ruksana Khanam, a Dhaka University graduate, was looking for a private tutor for her six-year-old daughter. She finally found a tutor, who introduced himself as a student of DU English department.
But a short interview with the prospective tutor made her convinced that he was using a false identity.
"I asked him about a few renowned professors of the [English] department but he tried to evade the questions," said Ruksana, "I got suspicious and pushed him further only to find out that he does not even know the name of the chairman of English department."
"How come you study in Dhaka University and do not know your chairman!" she said.
The person turned out to be a student of the National University but claiming to be a DU student with a counterfeited identity card.
"I wonder why the university authorities do not introduce digital identity cards. Almost all the major universities in the world, including those in our neighbouring countries, have introduced digital, computerized identity cards. So, why not Dhaka University?" she said.
Several students alleged that a section of unscrupulous students of DU are engaged in producing counterfeit identity cards. They sell them to people saying that the DU identity card would help them get good private tuitions.
"There are many private tuition providing agencies who prefer DU students as tutors," said a student of history (honours) at Habibullah Bahar College.
"Once I saw an advertisement asking for private tutors. As I contacted them and said that I was a student of Habibullah Bahar college, they told me that there was no way I could get a decent tuition opportunity," he said.
Later, following suggestion from a friend, he collected a DU identity card and went to Nilkhet to make a duplicate one for his own.
"I applied once again with my 'new' identity card. Now I am tutoring three students in private," he said.
As the identity cards provided by DU can be easily reproduced and counterfeited, a good number of outsiders have been using fake identity cards to frequent on the DU campus and use different facilities of the university, said several students.
"Those outsiders often appear as some of the biggest culprits who initiate clashes and conflicts inside the university campus," said a student of the Department of Applied Physics of DU.
Currently Dhaka University provides three different kinds of identity cards for students. First-year students receive 'white' identity cards, which is meant for 'non-residential' students.
When a student gets permission to reside at a DU hall of residence, he or she receives a 'yellow' identity card. After allotment of a seat at a DU hall, a student is provided with a 'green' card that introduces him or her as a resident student of Dhaka University.
Sources at Dhaka University said the authorities do not have any plans to introduce digitalised identity cards soon.
"We do have an identity card called the 'borrower's card' that is equivalent to digitalized identity card," said an official at Library, Planning and Development Department of Dhaka University.
The 'borrower's card' was primarily introduced to computerise the book borrowing system at the DU library, DU sources said. However, it can also be used as a general identity card.
"The software used to produce this identity card cannot be found anywhere else. Therefore, it is almost impossible to counterfeit it," said Syeda Farida Parveen of Library, Planning and Development Department of Dhaka University.
"We will request the vice chancellor sir to mandate the use of this identity card as it is more secure and cannot be counterfeited," she said.
DU students can collect the borrower's card from Library, Planning and Development Department for a fee of Tk 100.
Notices have been posted to different departments of Dhaka University, asking the students to collect this identity card but response from the students have been quite disappointing, DU sources said.
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