Barishal University: 36 classrooms for 10,000 students

Academic activities at Barishal University (BU) have been significantly disrupted due to an acute shortage of classrooms, hindering the smooth operation of academic schedules.

Established over a decade ago, the university has been unable to open any new departments beyond the existing ones, largely due to an accommodation crisis.

BU began its journey on a temporary campus in 2011 before relocating to its 50-acre permanent campus in Karnakati on January 24, 2012. However, little progress has been made in infrastructure development since the move.

At present, a single five-storey building accommodates administrative offices, academic facilities, and six faculties comprising 25 departments.

According to BU sources, the university has only 36 classrooms for its 25 departments and approximately 10,000 students. Each year, around 1,440 new students are enrolled. Of the existing classrooms, 15 departments have been verbally assigned a single classroom each, though the requirement is at least 3-4 classrooms per department.

This shortage forces students from different departments to share classrooms, leading to confusion, delays, and frequent rescheduling or cancellation of regular classes.

The disrupted academic schedule has, in turn, increased the workload for teachers and caused session delays for students.

"When one batch is using a classroom, another has to wait outside for their turn. This makes it difficult for students to attend multiple classes in a day. Sometimes classes are divided between the academic and administrative buildings. The rise in student intake has worsened the situation, depriving us of a conducive learning environment," said Joynal Abedin, a student of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism.

Rabbi Khan, a student of the Department of Public Administration, echoed him.

Bishon Krishna Saha, an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics, said even faculty members are forced to share office spaces with three to six colleagues.

The Registrar's Office at BU said a proposal for infrastructural development was sent to the University Grants Commission (UGC) three years ago. However, it was returned with instructions to submit a revised proposal aligned with the university's masterplan. Although the proposal was resubmitted, no progress has been made.

"We met with the education adviser last week to discuss the classroom crisis. He instructed us to submit a short-term, low-budget proposal, assuring us of prompt action," said Professor Mamun Ur Rashid, treasurer of BU.

Pro-VC Professor Dr Golam Rabbani said the university administration is preparing a proposal for the second phase of BU's infrastructural development."Although it is a time-consuming process, we are committed to resolving the issue as soon as possible," he added.