Takhar University students boycott classes

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): Thousands of university students in northern Takhar province on Monday started a boycott of classes and slammed the campus gate on teachers to protest lack of facilities.

The protesting students said their only hostel had been without electricity and toilets. Sher Dil Tahiri, a third-year literature faculty student, told Pajhwok Afghan News the route between the university and the hostel was in dilapidated condition.

“Electricity is imported to Takhar from Tajikistan and is supplied to Taloqan and a number of districts, but the university hostel is deprived of this facility. We need power in the face of increasingly hot air,” he said.

A Shariah Faculty student, Mujibullah Ziayee, said toilets had not been considered in the hostel’s construction and students lived there amid an unbearable smell.

“Our clothes gather dust and get dirty when we go between the hostel and the university. There are no toilets and we fear we could fall ill. We have no option, but to boycott classes in protest,” the second year student said.

Student leader Behra al-Din said they had discussed their demands with the Vice-Chancellor and the provincial governor, but nothing happened.

He said the VC had told them there was no budget to construct toilets, extend electricity to the hostel and repair the hostel road.

“When we shared the problems with the VC, he made promises, but did not honour them. Later we visited the governor’s office, but the governor refused to meet us and then we talked to his office administrator, who promised resolving our problems within two weeks, but it has been two months, the problems remain.”

The student leader said they would not attend classes and would not open the university’s gate until their demands were met.

VC Mehboobullah Hamid acknowledged the problems, saying the university had newly been established and was in need of many facilities.

He said students, particularly those staying in the hostel, needed green area, library, roads, clean drinking water system, toilets and electricity.

However, he said work on the extension of electricity to the hostel was ongoing and the issue would be resolved soon. He said they had entered talks with aid giving agencies to resolve the remaining issues on the campus.

Constructed five years ago west of Taloqan on the Wartbaz mound, the university lacks many facilities for its 5000 students. Of the students, 1000 stay in the hostel.

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