SAVAR, Feb 06, 2023 (BSS) - Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) today staged a human chain on the campus demanding a reduction of the fees announced ahead of the university's sixth convocation to be held on February 26 next.
 
Over 50 students from different departments formed the human chain on the roadside adjacent to the university's central Shaheed Minar at 12 noon to press home their five points charter of demands.
 
The demands include, a reduction of convocation fees for honours and masters courses, arranging convocation for weekend and evening courses at a separate venue and fixing registration issues at the university website.
 
Addressing the human chain, Bengali department student Zahir Foysal said, 'Attending convocation at the cost of Tk 5,000 is an extra burden for a fresh graduate as he has no income source. Besides, the university administration is legalizing commercial courses by giving weekend courses students to at the convocation despite the University Grants Commission's directive to stop it.
 
JU Vice-chancellor Nurul Alam said, 'It is too late to raise the demand as we are very close to the long-awaited ceremony.'
 
Member Secretary of the Convocation Registration Committee Syed Mohammad Ali Reza said, "The convocation fees have been set at Tk 2,500 for undergraduate and postgraduate programs separately and Tk 4,000 together, Tk 5,000 for MPhil degree, Tk 7,000 for the PhD degree and Tk 8,000 for weekend and evening programs.'