Comilla University students suspend protest following administration pledge to resolve academic backlog

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Students at Comilla University’s Department of Law staged a protest on Tuesday, locking department classrooms to demand an immediate resolution to severe session jams that have disrupted their academic progress. The demonstration, which began at 11:00 a.m. in front of the faculty building, was prompted by prolonged delays in examinations, particularly for the 2021–22 academic batch, which is reportedly running eight months behind schedule.

The protesting students presented a six-point charter of demands, insisting that the university publish results for all in-course examinations within 24 hours. Their roadmap for academic recovery includes completing two remaining semesters within six months, releasing a detailed schedule for those semesters within 48 hours, and ensuring all future results are published within eight weeks of examination completion. Furthermore, the students demanded that the administration hire guest lecturers to mitigate faculty shortages and provide formal, written assurances regarding the implementation of these measures.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Masuda Kamal arrived at the scene to address the demonstrators. Following her verbal assurance that the administration would prioritize these concerns, the students unlocked the classrooms and suspended their protest. Professor Kamal later stated that the university would launch an investigation into the causes of the academic delays and hold responsible parties accountable once formal complaints are lodged.

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Following the protest, university officials—including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar—held an emergency meeting to review the students’ demands. Registrar Mohammad Nurul Karim Chowdhury confirmed to Prothom Alo that the administration has reached an agreement in principle to meet the students’ requests, noting that the grievances were deemed legitimate. Officials expressed optimism that the academic crisis would be resolved shortly.

Despite the administration’s commitments, the students have cautioned that if the agreed-upon timeline for their demands is not met, they are prepared to resume agitation.