Students of various polytechnic institutes across the country have announced that they will continue their movement despite holding a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education.
The students, who have been demonstrating with a six-point demand, said they were not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.
The prolonged meeting, held on Thursday from morning to noon, involved representatives of the protesting students and officials from the Ministry of Education.
However, neither the education secretary nor the education adviser was present. An additional secretary spoke with the students regarding their demands.
Mashfik Islam, a leader of the Karigori Chhatra Andolon (Technical Students’ Movement), told reporters after the meeting, “The education adviser was absent, and the secretary is currently out of Dhaka. While the additional secretary listened to us, he could not provide immediate decisions on many issues.”
“Our brothers in Cumilla have been attacked and abused in different areas, yet we received no clear resolution on these incidents. The meeting was therefore not fruitful. Perhaps, had the Adviser been present, things would have gone better,” he added.
Warning of stricter actions, he said, “We are heading towards tougher programmes. Our movement will continue until our demands are met. We will discuss with others and announce the next steps soon.”
Earlier on Wednesday, polytechnic students staged protests in Dhaka’s Tejgaon Saat Rasta, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, and other areas across the country, blocking roads in districts like Cumilla and elsewhere.
Although students had planned to block railway tracks on Thursday, the programme was postponed due to the scheduled meeting with ministry officials.
In a significant development on Wednesday night, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute Principal Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Khan was removed from his post amid the ongoing protests.
The Ministry of Education’s Technical and Madrasa Education Division reassigned him to the Directorate of Technical Education and handed over responsibilities to the institute’s Vice Principal Shahela Parvin as acting principal.
The students’ six-point demand includes the cancellation of the High Court verdict on the promotion of craft instructors to junior instructor positions, the renaming of the “Craft Instructor” designation, and the permanent termination of individuals involved in the related legal case.
They are also demanding that the four-year duration of the diploma engineering course be maintained and that the syllabus and curriculum be updated in line with modern global standards.
The students have additionally called for justice regarding police obstruction and baton charges during Wednesday’s protests.