Students who cannot afford to buy admission forms "should not aspire to study in the university, they would rather enrol at madrasas". Thus spake Rajshahi University (RU) Vice-Chancellor Prof Altaf Hossain when leaders of Progressive Students' Alliance met him yesterday to submit a memorandum protesting an increase in the price of admission forms.

The RU authorities fixed the price of admission forms at Tk 100 this year, up from Tk 90in thelast year.

The VC told the student leaders that those who cannot afford to buy admission forms should enrol at Kawami or Ebtadaee Madrasa, which provides education, accommodation and other facilities free of cost.

The leaders of Progressive Students' Alliance protested the statement at a rally on the campus.

Demanding withdrawal of the price hike of admission forms, they also threatened to enforce a strike at the university on November 4 if the demand goes unheeded.

Samajtantrik Chhatra Front President Shushanta Sinha, Secretary Sayeed Akhter, Chhatra Union President Promothesh Shil and Chhatra Federation leader Manjurul Alam were among the student leaders who met the VC to submit the memorandum.