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Published : 19 Apr 2025, 07:20 AM
In a bid to press for their six-point demands and protest the “attack” during a programme in Cumilla, students across all polytechnic institutes in Bangladesh will cover the main gates with red cloth and hold a human chain on Saturday.
The event, organised by the Karigari Chhatra Andolon Bangladesh (Technical Students’ Movement of Bangladesh), will begin at 11:30am at each institute.
The announcement was made on Friday night by the student platform, which said the human chain would be formed without causing public inconvenience.
The students plan to draw the attention of the authorities and interim government to their demands by holding placards at important locations or along highways.
In a message sent around 1am, the platform’s Cell Secretary Md Sabbir Ahmed said: “In protest of the horrific attack in Cumilla and the failure to secure the rights of technical students, the gates of every polytechnic institute will be covered with red cloth indefinitely.”
Earlier on Friday afternoon, students tied white shrouds around their heads and took out a mass procession to press for their demands.
In a briefing after the procession, Jobair Patwari, a representative of the protest platform and a student at the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, said: "We say to the government - accept our demands as soon as possible and we will clear the road.
“Ensure the fair investigation and trial of the attacks on our Cumilla brothers. Ensure their proper medical treatment. We are interested in holding talks with you."
Karigari Chhatra Andolon representative and Dhaka Polytechnic Institute student Md Mashfiq Islam Dewan said, "This government is our government – a government of students, a government of revolutionaries.
“We are ready to fully cooperate with this government. We want the government to eliminate the discrimination that exists in the technical education sector,” he added.
On Thursday night, students from different polytechnic institutes—including Dhaka Polytechnic Institute—held torch processions to demand their six-point charter.
Earlier that day, after a long meeting with education ministry officials, students announced they would continue their protests, dissatisfied with the outcome.
On Wednesday, polytechnic students blocked roads in different parts of the capital, including Tejgaon’s Saat Rasta, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur, as part of their ongoing protest.
Following are the six demands made by the protesting students:
1. Cancellation of the High Court verdict promoting craft instructors to junior instructor posts, along with a change in the title of craft instructor, permanent dismissal of all involved in the case, and immediate annulment of the 2021 recruitment rules. Protesters also demanded a fair investigation and action against those responsible.
2. Continuation of the four-year Diploma Engineering course, and the formulation of a modern, standardised syllabus and curriculum.
3. Exclusive eligibility for the post of Deputy Assistant Engineer and equivalent (10th grade) for students who have completed a four-year Diploma in Engineering or Monotechnology (Surveying). Private diploma graduates should receive a minimum basic salary of Tk 16,000.
4. Enforcement of the Technical Education Reform Committee's report outlining the appointment of technically educated personnel in positions such as directors, deputy directors, principals, and others within the technical sector.
5. Revision of all controversial recruitment rules under the Directorate of Technical Education and publication of recruitment notices to fill vacant posts with technically educated teachers and lab assistants in polytechnic institutes and Technical School and Colleges (TSCs).
6. Publication of a gazette to establish a university for the higher education of Diploma in Engineering and Monotechnology graduates, and reservation of 100 percent of seats for them in the proposed four engineering colleges in Naogaon, Thakurgaon, Narail, and Khagrachhari.
