When the Oikyabaddha Shikkharrthi Jote (Unified Student Alliance), led by Islami Chhatra Shibir, unveiled its 36-point manifesto ahead of the Dhaka University Central Student Union (Ducsu) elections in September 2025, it promised a new era for students.
From guaranteed hall accommodation for freshers to nutritious, affordable canteen meals, the pledges captured imaginations.
Eight months on, however, the gap between aspiration and achievement has become a source of quiet frustration across campus.
The housing conundrum
Perhaps the most visible shortfall lies in student accommodation. The manifesto pledged hall seats for every first-year student, with interim solutions such as temporary hostels or monthly housing allowances discussed alongside long-term construction plans.
Yet hall provosts remain blunt: a chronic shortage of seats makes universal provision impossible.
“These are not matters within Ducsu’s sole jurisdiction,” explains M Mohiuddin Khan, Ducsu’s assistant general secretary and president of the university unit Chhatra Shibir. “Implementation depends on decisions from the university administration.”
He adds that constructing new halls or expanding capacity cannot realistically be achieved within a single year.
What remains unaddressed, however, is why such time-intensive commitments featured prominently in a manifesto presented to voters. No clarification has been offered regarding the interim measures, such as temporary housing or allowances, that were meant to bridge the gap.
Israt Jahan Emu, organising secretary of the Biplabi Chhatra Maitree’s Dhaka University unit, offers a pointed assessment: “While Ducsu has struggled to secure tangible rights for students, it has achieved considerable success in advancing Shibir’s political objectives through this platform.”
She points to practical examples: cold-water dispensers and sanitary pad machines installed in halls before the elections now sit unused, neglected since Ducsu assumed office. “The same neglect applies to Ducsu leaders themselves,” she remarks.
Promises which could be achieved
Not all pledges required administrative overhaul or capital investment. Mubbasir Mahmud, a Theatre and Performance Studies student, argues that several commitments were entirely feasible.
“I would call these dangling radishes before the students,” he says. “The manifesto should have included only changes that could realistically be delivered.”
Among the unfulfilled yet achievable promises: nutritious, low-cost meal menus designed under nutritionist supervision; quarterly food quality testing; faculty-specific quality canteens; and special meal vouchers for financially vulnerable students.
“There was considerable discussion about food quality and healthy canteens,” Mubbasir notes, “but little has materialised.”
Indeed, after Ducsu took office, Shibir leaders were filmed asserting control over certain hall canteens. The footage sparked public criticism, and the initiatives were quietly shelved.
Another unmet pledge involves digitising the Registrar’s Building and introducing a ‘one-stop service’ for students applying to study abroad.
Mubbasir recalls: “Recently, two of our peers were prevented from travelling overseas due to administrative negligence at the Registrar’s office.”
The manifesto had vowed to end the infamous instruction to “come after lunch” for services.
Hasibul Alam, a resident of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall, confirms: “There has been no change yet.”
Gender equity and campus life
The manifesto also promised to relax restrictions on female students visiting halls, permit non-resident students entry upon showing university ID, and establish ‘guardian lounges’ for visitors.
Rokeya Hall student Manisha Chakma remains unconvinced: “A girl from one hall cannot visit a friend in another. She may use the guest room, just as boys can. And I have not even heard of a ‘guardian lounge’.”
Umme Salma, Ducsu’s secretary for common rooms, reading rooms and cafeterias, cites budget constraints for the delayed installation of female staff in common rooms, breastfeeding spaces and child-care corners.
“We have implemented these in a few locations for now,” she says. “The ground-floor common room at Kala Bhaban is complete, and work is underway on the fourth-floor common room and the Teacher-Student Centre.”
Other gender-focused pledges, such as ensuring safe transport for female students and increasing female representation on the proctorial team, remain unaddressed. No dedicated initiative for women’s safe transport has been launched.
Green campus, clean promises?
Environmental commitments have similarly faltered. While the manifesto promised a “clean, green campus” through ecological conservation, noise control and a fair traffic system, the monthly cleanliness drives have ceased.
Raids to remove unauthorised vehicles and street vendors from Suhrawardy Udyan and campus grounds did occur, but reports of Ducsu leaders assaulting individuals during these operations drew sharp criticism.
When questioned, the leaders retreated.
A system for registered rickshaws with fixed fares was announced but never implemented. Likewise, a strengthened complaint cell with a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for sexual harassment and cyberbullying, including legal support, exists largely on paper. Students report it remains ineffective.
Shibir leaders’ response
When asked about the disparity between promises and progress, Ducsu Assistant General Secretary Mohiuddin Khan tells TIMES of Bangladesh: “We have fully implemented approximately 13 to 14 pledges. For policy-related matters, initial work has commenced. Visible results will take time, but overall implementation remains achievable.”
He acknowledges that seven or eight further promises are delayed by policy processes and time constraints.
Four months into his term, Ducsu General Secretary SM Farhad held a press conference on January 26, highlighting meetings with foreign ambassadors and government bodies as key achievements.
What others say
Suryasen Hall unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Abidur Rahman Mishu questions the tangible impact: “Did students benefit from these meetings?”
Chhatra Maitree leader Emu offers a wry summary: “They now measure success by how many graves they have visited, how many events they attended, who they met, how many statements they issued, how many quizzes and seminars they organised, and how beautifully they write.”
