Students of Jagannath University's Land Management and Law Department (JnU) submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor's office on Monday, demanding a change in the department's name.
The students stated, "The current name of our department, 'Land Management and Law', needs clarification. The word 'management' gives the impression that the department is part of the Faculty of Business Administration, while placing 'land' at the forefront undermines the focus on law. This reduces the dignity and transparency of our department."
In the memorandum, the students explained that they had earlier requested the Dean of the Faculty of Law to change the department's name to "Law and Land Administration." The dean forwarded their proposal to the Academic Council. However, the council did not approve it during the discussion.
The students stressed that alumni who have completed a master's degree from the department also support the proposed name change. They mentioned that other departments of Jagannath University have successfully changed their names in the past.
Seeing this precedent, they appealed to the Vice-Chancellor to reconsider their demand.
Jihadul Islam, a student of the department, said, "Similar subjects are taught in four public universities of Bangladesh, out of which the department is named 'Law and Land Administration' in three of them. The inclusion of 'management' with the name of our department creates a misconception that it focuses on land surveying or belongs to the Faculty of Business Administration. We want the name of our department to reflect what it does - Law and Land Administration."
It should be noted that the Department of Land Law and Management was established in 2016 under the Faculty of Law. Later it was renamed 'Land Management and Law'. Now, the students are advocating for the name to be changed to "Law and Land Administration" to align with academic standards and eliminate misconceptions.
