89.2pc DU students harassed at admin building: Survey

A recent survey conducted on the Dhaka University (DU) students regarding the quality of service at the Administrative Building of the university found that some 89.2 per cent students were harassed by the employees and officers at different section offices.
A total of seven hundred students participated the survey. Hasnat Abdullah, a Master's student of the English Department of the university carried out the survey as he has been protesting various mismanagement and irregularities in the Administrative Building since August 30.
Hasnat handed over a memorandum to the Vice Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman on August 30 demanding to solve the complications and gave a ten-day ultimatum to take necessary steps. As the university authorities did not take any action in this regard till now, he declared a single sit-in programme in front of the Registrar Building for an uncertain period on Sunday. Talking to this correspondent, Hasnat said he will take position from 9:00am to 3:00pm (office time) everyday till the demands are met.
He alleged that he was harassed by the employees at the Administrative Building when he tried to take pictures of the empty rooms at 9:40am on Sunday although the office time starts from 9:00am.
He further announced a mass signature programme from today (Monday).
"No officers came on time. Most of the time, they are late for more than an hour," he alleged.
However, according to the survey report, 68.3 per cent students opined that there have been exercise of bribery and nepotism in this building.
The students are harassed comparatively more in the admission section, scholarship section and mark sheet and transcript section, the report said.
Of the 700 participants, more than 400 students had to face delay in getting service.
The findings further included that 86.1 per cent students think the current situation in the administrative building is opposite of the conception of Digital Bangladesh.
"More than 400 students alleged that the service providers think the students helpless," the report stated.
Moreover, more than 600 students marked officials' arbitrariness and lack of transparency are the key reasons behind the unchanged service quality in this building.
In order to solve the problems, Hasnat demanded the authorities to constitute a Grievance Cell consist of teachers and student representatives to address incidents of student harassment and ensure accountability of the administrative officers and employees.
He further demanded to digitise all the administrative activities immediately, install CCTV cameras inside all the rooms for the purpose of security and investigation of lost documents and set up digital display at the entrance of the offices describing the names of the offices, room numbers and services provided there, the names and pictures of the officers and employee on duty and necessary information. "Modern secretarial knowledge, professional, human and behavioural training of the officers and employees should be made mandatory by law," he added.
Hasnat further demanded to ban any personal, business or political activities of the officers and employees in the Administrative Building.