Whoever said, “University uthle poralekha nai”, clearly never went to university. Quizzes, vivas, presentations, and midterms are overwhelming me right now; the workload never seems to end. As an English major, I already find the pressure to be overwhelming. I can’t even imagine the situation for an engineering or medical student where every subject demands calculations, experiments, or intricate memorisation of complex theories. If I am struggling this much, what must it be like for them?
University is not like schools where one final exam at the end of the year determines everything. Here, the academic pressure is never-ending. Every week, there is a quiz or an assignment submission. Midterms arrive at the middle of the semester, testing a vast portion of the syllabus. Then there are viva exams where students are expected to answer with confidence or group projects that require discussions that may stretch late into the night. Engineering and medical students have it even worse; they don’t just study theories but also have lab exams and practical assessments where even a small mistake can cost them marks. There is a never-ending list of academic work in university.
And then comes the month of Ramadan, which is supposed to be about spiritual reflection and personal growth. But how can a university student focus on that in the middle of all this pressure?
- A day in Ramadan as a university student – Let me paint a picture for you of a day spent by a university student during Ramadan. Sehri and Fajr prayers finish around 5:30 am. Class at 8am, when most start, leaves little time to rest or sleep. You have to drag yourself out of bed and get ready to leave for university. The lectures usually stretch on sometimes until 1pm, sometimes until 2pm or 3pm depending on your schedule. By the time you’re home, you’re already tired, but you still need to pray Zuhr.
For many students, that doesn’t end there. If you have a part-time job or tuition, you rush there straight from the university to work by battling traffic and the midday heat. By the time you reach home, Asr prayer time might already be over, leaving you feeling guilty but helpless. And if you’re a girl or a boy living alone in a hall or mess, the next struggle is—iftar banao. You’re already drained of energy, but you have to prepare a meal now.
The after-iftar alshemi is also a strange kind of exhaustion where your body just refuses to function properly for at least an hour or two. And then just when you start regaining the energy, it’s time for Isha and Tarawih, which takes around another 2 hours. By the time you are finished, its already past 10pm. After dinner, just when are you supposed to study? Complete the assignments? Prepare for upcoming midterms?
And let’s not forget, you also have to wake up early for Sehri and prepare for the next day’s early morning classes. Getting enough sleep is a luxury that you simply cannot afford.
- The pressure and its consequences – Not everyone has the same endurance. Some push through, sacrificing their health and surviving on barely a few hours of sleep. Others begin to make difficult choices out of desperation and fear of failing; they stop fasting, skip prayers, or completely give up on the spiritual aspects of Ramadan. The very month that should be about faith and devotion becomes a month of unbearable stress.
The situation isn’t just about students either. Faculty members and university staff also endure immense pressure. Professors have to schedule classes, conduct exams and manage grading, all while fasting themselves
- The solution is right in front of us – Bangladeshi universities already offer semester breaks ranging from one to two months after final exams. So why can’t the academic calendar be planned in a way that includes Ramadan in this break? Every university student will agree on having a break during Ramadan instead of an unnecessary months-long gap between semesters. Schools get almost 40 days off, but university students are expected to power through as if their workload is any less demanding. Why can’t we, the older students, receive a break?
The requirement isn’t an impossible demand. It’s a question of planning. If policymakers truly considered the well-being of students, wouldn’t they ensure that universities also close during Ramadan? Or do they believe that university students are superhuman?