Students return to classes

Students of Barisal University have decided to return to classes and take their exams following negotiations with transport owners and university authorities at a meeting yesterday.
The students had been boycotting all academic activities since Saturday to press home a six-point demand.
The demands are: punishment for transport workers, who attacked and injured some students on May 29; immediate construction of students' dormitories and their boundary walls; construction of speed bumps in front of the university's permanent campus; withdrawal of resignation letters of five assistant proctors; a fixed session fee of Tk 3,000 per student and announcement of the university's student election union.         
HM Zahirul, convener of Sadharon Chhatra Parishad, an organisation representing general students, said they decided to postpone their agitation programme after a tri-party meeting among students' representatives, university authorities and transport owners yesterday afternoon.
The transport owners assured students of providing them with a reserved bus that will ply between the city and the permanent campus, introducing half-ticket price for the students, and introducing a bus stoppage in front of the campus gate.   
Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of Barisal University Prof Md Harunor Rashid Khan said resignation letters of the assistant proctors were not accepted, so they will continue carrying out their duties.
He said each student will be charged Tk 3,000 per session with an additional Tk 500 as transportation fee.   
He further said that works for constructing speed humps and boundary walls have started.
The agitating students threatened to boycott classes again and go for other agitation programmes if the decisions are not implemented properly.
On May 29, at least eight students were injured as transport workers swooped on them on the campus following an altercation between a group of students and some transport workers over refusal to drop students in front of the campus and give them a concession in bus fare.