Polytechnic students reverse decision to halt protests

Less than 24 hours after announcing a pause in their protests, polytechnic institute students have decided to change tack and forge ahead with their movement.

The reversal came on Wednesday following scepticism over the government’s decision to form a committee to outline a roadmap for implementing the students' charter of six demands.

Md Sabbir Ahmed, acting cell secretary of the Karigori Chhatra Andolon (Technical Students Movement) - the platform leading the protest - said: "Students don't trust the committee formed by the education ministry. Similar committees were created in the past, but none of our demands were fulfilled. So, with the consensus of all students, we have decided to withdraw the suspension and resume our movement."

He added that a representative conference will be held on Thursday, during which the next phase of the protest will be announced.

"Representatives from various divisions have already arrived in Dhaka to attend the conference. We’re calling on others to join as well," Sabbir said.

Earlier, on Tuesday night, the students had announced the suspension of their protest at a media briefing at Dhaka Polytechnic Institute. However, they warned that they would resume demonstrations if there was any perceived delay in implementing their demands.

Earlier that afternoon, the Technical and Madrasa Education Division of the education ministry formed a committee headed by an additional secretary to develop a roadmap for implementing the students’ demands. The committee also includes an advisor from the Karigori Chhatra Andolon as a member.

The committee was instructed to submit a report to the secretary of the division within three weeks.

Speaking at Tuesday evening’s press conference, the platform’s representative Jobayer Patwari said the protest had been temporarily suspended "as a gesture of goodwill for the relevant authorities”.

“It is being made clear that if the six-point demands are not met or if there is any delay in forming the Technical Reform Commission, we will be forced to intensify the protest and take further action," he added.

The education ministry's Senior Information Officer Siraj Ud-Doula Khan had earlier confirmed that an eight-strong committee was formed to address the “reasonable demands” of the students.

In a statement, he said: “The committee includes representatives from the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB), and student representatives. The committee will formulate recommendations to meet short, medium, and long-term demands. Follow-up actions will be taken based on those recommendations.”

The committee is headed by the additional secretary of the Planning and Development Division under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division.

On Monday, a delegation of students had met with KM Kabirul Islam, secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, at the Secretariat. Senior ministry officials, the DTE director general, and IDEB leaders were present at the meeting.

In a statement issued by Siraj, it was mentioned that the ministry was actively working to fulfil the students’ demands. The secretary had urged protesting students to withdraw all programmes and resolve the issue through discussion.

Last week, students from various polytechnic institutes blocked roads at Tejgaon’s Saat Rasta, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur, as well as other parts of the country, to press home their demands. The protests caused severe traffic congestion across the capital.

Amid the protests, the education ministry removed Mostafizur Rahman Khan from his position as principal of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute on Apr 16. He was reassigned to the Directorate of Technical Education, while Vice Principal Shahela Parvin was given the role of acting principal.

The next day, students held meetings with education ministry officials but were not satisfied with the outcome. That evening, torch processions were held at Dhaka Polytechnic and other institutions.

On Apr 18, students wore symbolic burial shrouds as they marched through the capital to press home their demands.

On Apr 19, students wrapped red cloth over the nameplates of polytechnic institutes during a nationwide human-chain protest.

Most recently, on Apr 20, students held rallies across districts, giving the education ministry a 48-hour deadline to take action on their demands.