Wearing symbolic burial shrouds, polytechnic students took to the streets on Friday (April 18) in protest against discrimination in technical education, irregularities in recruitment, and the recent attack on students in Cumilla.
After the Friday Jumma prayers, the protesting students marched from Tejgaon Polytechnic Institute with shrouds tied around their heads.
Earlier, on Thursday night (April 17), a delegation of students held a lengthy meeting at the Ministry of Education. However, dissatisfied with the outcome, the student platform “Technical Student Movement Bangladesh” announced this protest programme around 11 PM. That same evening, torch processions were also held in Dhaka and across the country.
Following the meeting, Mashfiq Islam, a leader of the Technical Student Movement, said: The Education Adviser was not present at the meeting, and the Secretary was out of town. Although an Additional Secretary conducted the discussion, he couldn’t provide immediate decisions on many issues.
“Our fellow students in Cumilla were attacked and subjected to abuse in various places. We received no concrete resolutions on any of these matters. The meeting was ineffective—perhaps things would have been better had the Adviser been present.”
Students of Polytechnic Institutes on Wednesday (April 16) blocked roads at multiple locations including Dhaka’s Tejgaon Saat Rasta, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur, as well as various regions across the country, pressing their six-point demands. Protesters also blocked highways and major roads in Cumilla and elsewhere.
The students’ demands include: reversal of the High Court verdict promoting craft instructors to junior instructor positions, renaming of the “Craft Instructor” designation, permanent dismissal of those involved in the legal case, continuation of the four-year diploma engineering course, formulation of a modern, globally-standard syllabus and curriculum, and an investigation into the obstruction and baton charge during Wednesday’s protests.