Students call 3-day strike at all private varsities

Students have announced a three-day strike starting from Saturday at all private universities and medical and dental colleges across Bangladesh, dubbing the government’s assurance regarding VAT on tuition fee ‘a shrewd move’. Jotirmoy Chakrabarty, the coordinator of the agitating students’ platform ‘No VAT on Education’, announced the protest programme at a press briefing in Dhaka on Friday. “We will go on strike, demanding an immediate withdrawal of VAT on tuition fee and the formulation of a policy to fix the tuition fee at private universities through the University Grants Commission (UGC),” he said. Chakrabarty added that all private universities, and medical and engineering colleges would be on strike until Monday. The press conference was held at Stamford University’s Dhanmondi campus, followed by a protest procession by students in the area. The students have been protesting since the government imposed a 7.5 per cent VAT on tuition fee at private universities, and medical and engineering colleges in the budget for 2015-2016 fiscal year, according to a news agency.
- biplab