Chattogram Polytechnic students call off hunger strike following assurance from central leadership
However, the students warned that if the upcoming talks do not result in concrete action, they will resume their hunger strike and launch even stronger protests in the future
Students of Chattogram Polytechnic Institute have called off their indefinite hunger strike this evening (21 April) after receiving assurances from the central leadership of the Bangladesh Polytechnic Students' Movement.
The students had begun their hunger strike in the afternoon today in front of the Chattogram Press Club, protesting a controversial 30% promotion quota allocated to craft instructors for the post of junior instructor.
Their protest centred around six key demands, including the revocation of the said quota, which they believe undermines the rights of diploma engineers.
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At around 5pm, the students ended their strike after receiving instructions and assurance from the central leadership.
"We've been protesting for eight months," said student leader Junaed.
"Today, we launched an indefinite hunger strike. But the central committee has informed us that the administration has committed to a meeting within the next 36 hours to find a resolution. Based on that assurance, we've decided to suspend our program for now," he added.
The junior instructor post is traditionally reserved for diploma engineers and serves as a teaching position across various technical institutions and training centres.
However, a recent High Court ruling allowed craft instructors—many with only Grade 8, SSC (vocational), or HSC qualifications—to be promoted to junior instructor roles under a 30% quota system. This has sparked outrage among diploma students, who see the move as devaluing their education and qualifications.
Protests by polytechnic students have been ongoing for months, as they demand policy changes to protect merit-based recruitment in technical education.
Despite suspending today's strike, the students warned that if the upcoming talks do not result in concrete action, they will resume their hunger strike and launch even stronger protests in the future.
