JU law dept: Without a classroom for seven years
The Department of Law and Justice of Jahangirnagar University (JU) has been facing an acute shortage of classrooms, forcing students to frequently cancel their regular classes and learn in cramped conditions.
Although seven years have passed since the department started its journey in 2011, the university authorities could not yet designate a single classroom for the department permanently.
The three-storey social science faculty building houses six departments, the law faculty (with one department), and the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). But it is only the law department that does not have any designated classrooms.
From the beginning, the law students had been using three classrooms -- two green rooms in Zahir Raihan Auditorium, and a classroom (no-340) which belongs to the geography and environment department.
Initially, the authorities concerned managed the geography department to lend a room to the law department under the law faculty but in July, the former department took it back, issuing a notice to the latter.
“Moreover, the two green rooms can hardly accommodate 40 students but we have some 60 students in each batch. At present, the department has some 350 students in six batches including master's,” said Israt Ara Begum Atika, a third-year student of the department.
“The classrooms are usually overcrowded. It becomes unbearable especially when the power goes off,” she added.
“Being a class representative, I always carry the extra burden to maintain class routine and arrange classrooms accordingly,” she added.
“Cancellation or postponement of classes has been very common for us. Besides, it is a hassle to move from the social science building to the auditorium, some six minutes away, to arrange and attend classes every now and then,” she said.
“When we were using another department's classroom, sometimes we had to vacate the room in the middle of class or exam as students of that department needed it,” said fourth-year student Khan Muntasir Arman.
“The situation was very embarrassing for us. And now we do not have that classroom either,” he added.
“Nor do we have a seminar library where we could sit, read, discuss class topics or study. We have to even use other departments' washrooms, which is very awkward and make us feel neglected,” he added.
“If classes are not conducted regularly, how would we complete the syllabus in time?” asked Arafat Hossain Romeo, a third-year student.
Palash Roy, from session 2011-12, the first batch of the department, said, “Due to the classroom crisis, we had to cancel many classes which took us six extra months to complete our syllabus. As a result, we faced a session jam.”
A teacher of the department, wishing anonymity, said, “Like students, we the teachers are suffering too. We don't have enough space to sit, rest or even take preparations for our next class.”
The department has only four rooms for nine teachers. Of those, one belongs to the chairperson, one to a senior teacher, and the remaining two are shared by seven others.
Assistant Professor KM Shazzad Mohashin, the chairperson, said the department needs at least four classrooms and a moot court.
“We have repeatedly been urging the university authorities for at least one separate classroom, but to no avail,” he added.
Associate Professor Md Rabiul Islam, former chairperson of the department, said, “Since the beginning, all the three chairpersons had sent several letters to the authorities concerned for immediate solution. But, we have only got assurances.”
Terming the decision of the geography and environment department of taking back the classroom “discourteous”, Law Faculty Dean Prof Bashir Ahmed said the problem has become more severe since then.
“The geography department did not inform me before sending the notice to the law department. It is not the proper way. Every department has to come forward to help the other,” he added.
When asked, Prof Shahedur Rashid, chairperson of the geography and environment department, said, “We let the law department use our classroom, showing generosity. But, now our department is facing an acute classroom crisis, so we had to take it back.”
Admitting the fact that the dean was not informed beforehand, he further said, “At least we sent a formal letter to the department concerned but back then we were only asked verbally to hand over the classroom which we did.”
When contacted, Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Farzana Islam said, “We are aware of the crisis. The university authorities have already proposed a big project to the government which includes development of the law faculty.”
“The project will hopefully start next year. For now, we are borrowing a room from the economics department,” she added.
“The crisis has been made intentionally. The classrooms are not someone's private property. They have to be shared if necessary,” the VC added.
While talking to the correspondent, law students blamed a “cold war” between the VC-backed and anti-VC teachers for the prolonged crisis.
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