Hundreds of higher secondary students from Dhaka College blocked the Science Lab intersection in Dhaka on Monday morning, protesting the proposed schooling model under the planned Dhaka Central University. The government recently decided to merge seven prominent government colleges into a new public university to reduce administrative complexity and ease pressure on Dhaka University. However, students argue that the move threatens the long-standing identity, tradition, and autonomy of their institutions. They claim the decision was made without consulting students or stakeholders and fear that the new structure could worsen teacher shortages and infrastructure issues. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has already drafted an ordinance outlining the new university’s interdisciplinary structure, which would include higher secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs. The protesting students demand that the new system be based on affiliated institutions rather than a centralized schooling model.