Students of Jahangirnagar University’s Pharmacy Department have expressed strong resentment after the department decided to introduce an evening course amid a prolonged session jam that has already stretched regular academic programmes up to eight years.
Academic activities in the department have remained disrupted for two-and-a-half to three years, leaving students unable to finish a five-year undergraduate and one-year postgraduate programme within the stipulated timeframe.
Departmental sources said classes and examinations for eight batches — from 2017–18 to 2024–25 — are running simultaneously, while postgraduate results of the 2016–17 academic year remain unpublished. The backlog has intensified pressure on students already struggling with session delays.
Although the department offers a five-year honours and a one-year master’s programme, students said they are taking as long as eight years to complete their studies due to persistent disruptions.
They blamed the session jam on a chronic shortage of teachers, irregular classes and examinations, and inadequate classroom and laboratory facilities. Under such circumstances, they described the decision to launch an evening course as irrational and harmful to student interests.
Rashedul Islam Likhan, a student of the 48th batch and Jaksu’s information technology and library affairs secretary, said there was “no justification” for introducing an evening course while regular students remain stuck in session jams. “This decision goes against students’ interests,” he said.
Abu Ubaida Usama, a student of the 47th batch and Jaksu’s education and research secretary, said teacher shortages and insufficient classrooms and labs have persisted for years. Introducing a weekend programme in such a situation was “even more inappropriate,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, the department chair, Professor Mohammad Motaher Hossain Chowdhury, said the five-year duration of the honours course naturally extends completion time. He said delays in admission, lab activities and training also contribute to the lengthening. “However, it would not be accurate to say we are lagging behind other departments,” he said.
He added that the decision to start the evening course was taken collectively within the department and that it is being launched following instructions from the university administration.
