July uprising ends artificial accommodation crisis at JU

Mohammad Eliash, a first-year Economics student at Jahangirnagar University (JU), has been allotted a single room in Shaheed Rafiq Jabbar Hall, a privilege unheard of for freshers in over 15 years. 

Eliash and all 2,041 students admitted this session are enjoying the once-elusive benefit of single-room accommodations from their first day on campus.

Previously, JU’s first-year students faced overcrowded "Gonorooms," shared with over a hundred peers, and often waited 2-3 years for a single-room allotment. Despite being a fully residential campus, JU had long struggled with an artificial accommodation crisis, primarily due to prolonged occupancy by former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) members, the student wing of the Awami League, who occupied seats in dorms for years post-graduation. 

Following a significant uprising in July-August, all residential halls at JU were cleared of BCL influence, allowing first-year students to move directly into their own rooms. "After passing the admission test, I dreamed of having a hall seat, but was told it might take years," Eliash said. "Now, we’re granted single rooms from day one, fostering an environment vital for study and mental well-being—possible only because of the mass uprising."

The movement began as a protest for quota reform but soon evolved to target the “Gonoroom” culture and political influence in the dormitories. Towhid Siam, coordinator of JU’s Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, highlighted, "The uprising of 2024 addressed longstanding issues of political dominance and artificial seat shortages. JU is the first university to allocate single seats to freshers—a direct outcome of our movement."

The exodus of JU’s BCL leaders, who had attacked students during the movement, has brought notable changes. The halls, previously plagued by partisan control, have been renovated, with seat management streamlined by the administration to ensure first-year students have rooms.

JU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Dr. Sohel Ahmed, noted, "We currently have 21 dormitories, all of which housed ‘Gonorooms’ until recently, especially in male dormitories where even third-year students struggled for single rooms. With the mass uprising, we finally had the freedom to resolve this crisis, making JU fully residential as it was always meant to be."

Pro-VC (Education), Prof. Dr. M. Mahfuzur Rahman, echoed this sentiment: "The July-August movement reshaped Bangladesh and gave us the chance to create a new JU. Ensuring single-seat allocations for freshers was our first priority. Now, we are free from external influence and can implement our plans effectively."

Once merely residential on paper, JU now delivers on its promise, offering students complete residential facilities—a transformation driven by student-led reform and sustained by an empowered administration.

Source: BSS