Students of Dhaka College and six other affiliated colleges in the capital on Saturday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the draft ordinance for the proposed Dhaka Central University, calling it unsuitable and unreasonable for preserving the colleges’ distinct identity, heritage, and academic progress.

They said this at a press conference organized by general students at Dhaka College.

They said that to safeguard the autonomy of the seven colleges and improve the quality of education, a new university must be established following international standards modeled after Oxford University.

They stressed the need for administrative and financial independence for the colleges, along with their own governing bodies and resources.

Students present at the event alleged that the earlier movement for the seven colleges was eventually taken over by a handful of individuals whose extremism and unruly behavior created unrest on campus, leading to mental harassment of ordinary students, female students, and even teachers.

They further claimed that although 24–26 rounds of discussions had been held with the authorities while the opinions of college principals and department heads were never sought.

Dhaka College student Piyas Ahmed Alif said the draft proposes introducing co-education at Eden and Begum Badrunnesa Colleges, which he argued would undermine the century-long tradition of prioritizing women’s education.

He also criticized the proposal to drop several religion-based departments such as Islamic History and Culture and Islamic Studies, calling it a display of anti-religious sentiment.

Alif expressed further concerns that the draft fails to address crucial issues such as the future of intermediate-level courses, alumni identity, access to college campuses and halls, and conflicts over the use of facilities between the university and the colleges. He warned that the draft appeared to be an attempt to erase nearly two centuries of history and tradition.

The students placed three key demands:

1. All teachers, students, alumni, and staff of the seven colleges must be directly included in discussions regarding the establishment of the university.

2. Opinions should not be collected through what they called a “mockery of e-mails”; instead, open and transparent discussions must be held.

3. A commission must be formed to draft a timely and sustainable law.

They warned that if these demands are not met soon, they will announce stronger protest programs in the coming days.