District Correspondent, Sylhet: The Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) branches of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir have issued statements demanding a reduction in the excessive admission fees for the 2024-25 academic year.
Separate statements signed by Shamsuzzaman Prince, the Office Secretary of Chhatra Dal, and Muhsinur Rahman, the Publicity Secretary of Chhatra Shibir, called for the reduction of admission fees.
In its statement, Chhatra Dal stated, “The admission process for the 2024-25 academic year at SUST is set to begin on April 15. Excessive fees have been set this year, which are beyond the reach of many students. The unreasonable fees must be reduced immediately.”
Similarly, in its statement, Chhatra Shibir said, “The admission process for the 2024-25 academic year will commence on April 15. Compared to the fees under the cluster admission system last year, the fees have been slightly reduced this year. However, they are still more than double the amount charged before the cluster system was introduced, making it unaffordable for most students. The abnormal increase in admission fees over the past few years is in no way justifiable. The statement urged the authorities to promptly determine new, reasonable, and acceptable fees.”
It is noteworthy that SUST has shifted away from the cluster admission process and is conducting admissions independently this year. The admission process for the 2024-25 academic year is scheduled to start on April 15, as per the university administration. This year, the admission fee has been set at BDT 17,000. However, during the last individual admission process in the 2019-20 academic year, the fee was BDT 8,000. After joining the cluster system, the fee was BDT 18,000. Now, with the exit from the cluster system and the imposition of additional fees, general students are expressing outrage. They are demanding a reduction in the excessive fees before the admission process begins.
