The SFI Presidency University unit has been holding their protest at the College Street campus for the last 16 days and late on Friday, they withdrew their sit-in after written assurances from the authorities to look into their demands. The students have been demanding immediate students’ union elections, the right to write their exams in Bengali, holding of convocation, which has been long pending and funds to refurbish the laboratories and excursion tours for students.
After 16 days of a sit-in protest demanding immediate Student Union elections, increase in fund allotment, examination in mother tongue and conduction of convocation, the SFI Presidency University Unit has got partial success. The university authorities have provided us, in written, that they are ready to conduct the Presidency University Students’ Council Elections within 24 hours of getting the notification regarding the same from the state government, said a member of the SFI union. The authorities have given a written assurance that all required procedures are being undertaken to allocate funds in the required departments where infrastructural developments and expenditure on academic excursion and field trips are required. The university has also given assurance that they are conducting remedial classes for students facing problems due to English being the medium of instruction and mode of examination. The authority has also resolved to put the issue of convocation in front of the governing board of the university, who hold the right to deliberate on this issue.
“We demanded that the university authority should on an immediate basis hold a tripartite meeting consisting of representatives of the higher education commission of the state government, representatives of the University and student representatives of the university. We have been told that we will wait for a week for the meeting date to be fixed,” said Rishav Saha, secretary, SFI of the university unit.