Dhaka University (DU) students have expressed mixed reactions to the directive to vacate residential halls, against the backdrop of nationwide anxiety following a series of earthquakes during the last two days.
The DU authorities decided to close the university for two weeks to assess tremor risks and carry out necessary renovations of residential halls.
The decision followed Friday’s 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook the city, during which several DU students jumped from hall buildings out of fear, and three more tremors on Saturday.
A section of students said they were already heading home as classes and examinations had been suspended.
However, another group of students voiced reluctance to comply, terming the mandatory directive “irrational and unacceptable.”
“Many students have nowhere else to go. For those whose families live in the city, the halls are comparatively safer. There is an open field right in front of the dormitory, most homes do not have that,” said Asiya Akter Remiza, a student of the economics department.
Many cannot leave suddenly because of tuition and work commitments, she said.
“Students should have the option to stay or go during the break. Issuing a mandatory order in the name of student welfare is unacceptable. It even raises suspicion of a deeper conspiracy.”
Describing the DU closure as a “humane decision,” Mohsin Hall Provost Md Sirajul Islam told TIMES of Bangladesh that guardians were equally anxious. That is why the students were asked to vacate the halls by 5pm, he said.
No student bus services will operate from Sunday, DU transport manager Kamrul Hasan told TIMES.
Students staged a sit-in on Saturday night in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence, demanding safe accommodation and suspension of the hall closure decision.
Meanwhile, the DU authorities decided to allow the residents at Sir PJ Hartog International Hall as foreign students reside there, said the hall’s Provost, Mohammad Abul Kausar.
Several other educational institutions in the capital ===
The Jagannath University authorities have suspended all classes for four days and halted examinations until 4 December 2025.
Students of Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hall of the university must vacate the dormitory by 10:00AM on Monday. The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by the vice-chancellor, Prof Md Rezaul Karim.
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute has declared all classes and examinations closed indefinitely amid the fear triggered by earthquake aftershocks. Authorities have ordered all residential halls—including Latif Hostel (East and West), Dr Kazi Motahar Hossain Hostel, Zahir Raihan Hostel, and the Female Dormitory—to be vacated. Students must leave the hostels by 9:00PM on Saturday, and all mid-term exams and academic activities will remain suspended until further notice.
Viqarunnisa Noon School and College has postponed all exams scheduled for Sunday, including annual exams for Classes 1–9 and a special quiz for Class 11. The notice, issued shortly before 1AM on 22 November, states that regular classes for the college section (classes 11–12) will continue as usual.
