Elect Ducsu president from among students

The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) has proposed that the president of Ducsu be an elected student representative instead of the vice-chancellor of Dhaka University to ensure a balance of power.

They also proposed creating two vice president posts -- one for male students and another for female students.

Currently, the VC automatically serves as the president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union without an election, and there is one vice president post.

A group of JCD leaders, led by DU unit President Ganesh Chandra Roy Sahos and General Secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon, submitted the Ducsu amendment proposal to the university authority.

This came after the university authorities sought amendment suggestions from all active student organisations.

JCD proposed several reforms -- including election of the Ducsu president and hall unions' executive committees through direct student voting, and formation of an "Advisory Council" comprising teachers, administrators, alumni, and students to oversee and balance the powers of president.

Under the current constitution, the Advisory Council is responsible for approving the budget and assisting with some duties of the vice president.

JCD recommended that if the executive committee election is not held within the specified timeframe, the Advisory Council will take over the committee's responsibilities and organise the election as soon as possible.

The proposal also suggests removing the strict 30-year age limit for voters and candidates in central and hall union elections. Instead, it advocates for all regular Dhaka University students to be eligible to vote and run as candidates.

On January 2, the DU authorities requested 22 active student organisations in the university to submit constitutional amendment proposals. The deadline was initially set on January 8 and was later extended to January 14.

Key suggestions from the proposals included bringing a balance of power to the Ducsu constitution.

Some organisations proposed that the vice-chancellor, currently the ex-officio president of Ducsu, should not hold any executive powers in the students' union.

Instead, all decision-making and operational authority should rest with the elected members of the Ducsu executive committee.

                          Other suggestions included incorporating the Ducsu election into the university's calendar with a fixed annual date, revising the maximum age limit for candidates (currently 30 years), and renaming various editorial positions within Ducsu.