Students of the Geography and Environmental Sciences Department of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR), began a hunger strike on Sunday demanding a five-point solution to the session jam, among other issues.

The students began the strike in front of the main gate of Academic Building-2 around 11am.

Their demands include completing the fourth-year first-semester final examinations by November and the second-semester examinations by March 30; publishing examination results within four to six weeks of the end of each semester; ensuring that no student faces discrimination or retaliation in marks or evaluation for taking part in the movement; and providing a written assurance from the university administration on implementing the demands.

The students said their strike would continue until academic activities, including timely publication of results, are completed and the session jam is resolved.

A protesting student said the third-year first-semester examinations began in the second week of November last year and ended in the first week of December, but the results have yet to be published even after nearly 10 months.

Another student said the delay in publishing results had put their academic lives in uncertainty and disrupted their future plans.

Md Mostafizur Rahman, head of the department, said the department was facing a session jam for various reasons, including a shortage of teachers and classrooms.

“We need five laboratories, but currently have only two,” he said, adding that the department had recently taken an initiative to resolve the problems through discussions with students.

“However, I do not know why the students of the 2021-22 academic year suddenly went on a hunger strike,” he said.

Regarding the delay in publishing the results, Professor Dr Mosha Sifat Rumana, chairman of the examination committee for the 2021-22 academic year, said the delay was caused partly by teachers taking time to submit marks.

“As the chairman of the examination committee, I am not solely responsible for all the work,” she said, adding that the results were expected to be published by today.

Professor Dr Md Ferdous Rahman, Registrar (additional responsibility) of the university, said the institution was facing some crises and limitations.

“The results of the first semester of the third year are now being processed for publication,” he said.

“We have taken the initiative to complete one semester within six months. If necessary, students have agreed to attend classes on Fridays and public holidays,” he said, expressing hope that the problem would be resolved soon.