Ducsu unveils one-year activity, accountability report

The Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) today (17 September) unveiled a report on its activities and “accountability” over the past year, saying it had undertaken more than 1,000 initiatives across 41 areas.

Ducsu Vice-President (VP) Shadik Kayem and General Secretary (GS) SM Farhad presented the report at an event in front of the Ducsu building. Other members of the union were also present.

Shadik said the Ducsu leadership had worked throughout the year to protect students’ rights and promote accountability, with its activities divided into 41 areas.

The initiatives included addressing accommodation shortages in university halls, modernising reading rooms, resolving transport problems for non-residential students and introducing skills development programmes, he said.

The union also took measures to improve female students’ safety, prevent sexual harassment and cyberbullying, increase allocations for higher education and research, improve healthcare services, maintain campus cleanliness and control the entry of outsiders, according to the report.

However, Shadik alleged that the university administration had not cooperated with the union add had not provided its budget.

“Throughout the year, the university administration treated us unfairly. They have not given us our budget yet, nor have they been able to provide us with an account of the budget,” he said.

Shadik said the Ducsu leadership formally completed its one-year tenure on 14 September.

He said the union had repeatedly urged the university administration to announce a schedule for the next Ducsu election. The issue was also listed as the first agenda item at the union’s sixth executive meeting, he added.

However, the administration has yet to announce a roadmap for the next election, Shadik said.

He also claimed that Ducsu had helped establish a “new political culture” in Bangladesh through its activities.

Shadik expressed concern that student union elections could again be discontinued, referring to the absence of Ducsu and other campus student union elections after 1990.

“We fear that the BNP government may follow the same path and silence the voices of students,” he said.