Polytechnic students stage nationwide demos, disrupt traffic at key points
Students announce nationwide railway blockade for today
Polytechnic students blocked roads in Dhaka and key areas in several other districts today (16 April) to press home their six-point demand, including cancellation of the High Court verdict on the promotion of craft instructors to junior instructors.
The protests which started around 10:30am, ended in the evening with polytechnic students, from both government and private institutes, announcing a nationwide railway blockade for today.
Zubair Patwary, a representative of the "Karigori Chhatra Andolon, Bangladesh", made the announcement following a daylong sit-in at Saat Rasta intersection in Tejgaon. The fresh programme is a part of their ongoing movement to press for their six-point demands and to protest alleged attacks by law enforcement during their demonstrations.
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They have also called for a non-cooperation movement.
Earlier in the day, traffic movement at the capital's Tejgaon Saat Rasta intersection remained halted since morning as the students blocked the road. The road blockade slowed traffic in Moghbazar, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Ramna, Shantinagar, Bangla Motor and Hatirjheel areas.
Many commuters were seen using alternative routes to reach their destinations. Long tailbacks were also created on the Moghbazar and Karwan Bazar flyovers.
A group of polytechnic students also took position in front of Allah Karim Mosque in Mohammadpur, disrupting traffic movement in nearby Asadgate, Beribadh and Dhanmondi areas.
The six-point demand includes reforms in recruitment policies, academic guidelines, and greater opportunities for higher education for diploma engineers.
The agitating students' demanded immediate transfer of all "controversial" craft instructors appointed in 2021 under the Directorate of Technical Education and the continuation of the four-year Diploma in engineering course with each semester lasting a full six months.
Among other demands, they also called for restrictions on recruitment for the post of sub-assistant engineer (10th grade), ensuring these positions remain reserved for diploma engineers, and a reform of the Technical Education Board to prevent non-technical personnel from holding key roles.
Meanwhile, students from several polytechnic and survey institutes in Munshiganj, Rajshahi, Khulna, Chattogram, Sylhet, Cumilla, Kushtia, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Dinajpur and Pabna blocked railways and roads in their respective areas, expressing solidarity with the ongoing protests.
In Munshiganj, students staged a demonstration on the slope of the Muktarpur 6th China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge in Munshiganj around 12:30pm. The protest disrupted traffic along the Muktarpur-Panchabati road, leading to a significant congestion.
Out of concern for the passengers, the students temporarily moved off the road around 1:30pm and continued their demonstration from the roadside. However, they resumed their position on the road again around 2:30pm, resulting in a complete halt of traffic over the bridge.
In Rajshahi, around 12pm, protesting students brought out a procession and blocked both railways and roads at the city's Bhadra Mor area, causing significant public suffering.
Earlier, students from Rajshahi Government Polytechnic Institute, Rajshahi Government Women's Polytechnic Institute, Survey Institute of Engineering, and Bangladesh Polytechnic Institute brought out a protest march around 11:15am.
In Cumilla, polytechnic and agriculture diploma students blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway. Around 11:30am, they took control of the highway's Kotbari Bishwaroad area, bringing traffic to a standstill on both lanes. Students from Cumilla Polytechnic Institute, CCN Polytechnic Institute, and Cumilla Agriculture and Technical College joined the blockade.
In Khulna, students from four polytechnic institutes halted a train over the implementation of the six-point demands. At around 9am, they stopped the Rupsha Express near the city's Boyra Junction, shortly after it had departed from Khulna Railway Station. The students later released the train at 12:10pm following requests from the administration.
Due to the disruption, other trains including the Dhaka-bound Chitra Express, Rocket, and Mahananda Express were delayed at Khulna station. Train services resumed after the students lifted the blockade upon receiving assurances from the administration.
In Chattogram, hundreds of students from Chattogram Polytechnic Institute blocked a major city road in the afternoon, causing traffic gridlock and suffering to the commuters. The demonstration, held at the city's 2 No Gate area, was part of a programme they called the "Bangla Blockade".
In Dinajpur, students of the district's polytechnic institute blocked roads and railway tracks near Nimnagar Bus Stand area in the district town and in Pabna, students brought out a procession in the morning and later blocked the Dhaka-Pabna highway in Terminal Gol Chattar area by burning tyres.
The demands
First: The cancellation of a 30% promotion quota that allows craft instructors to become junior instructors. They also want the High Court to declare such promotions illegal, change the designations of craft instructors, and dismiss those involved in related legal cases. They also called for the cancellation of controversial night-time appointments made in 2021 and called for an overhaul of the recruitment policy.
Second: They called for the abolition of open-age admission in the Diploma in Engineering course. Students urged the introduction of a modern four-year curriculum, aligned with global standards, with a gradual shift to English as the medium of instruction.
Third: The students want the legal requirement to reserve positions in the 10th grade (equivalent to sub-assistant engineer) for diploma engineers. They alleged that various public and semi-autonomous bodies are hiring diploma holders for lower-grade roles and demanded legal action against those responsible.
Fourth: They demanded a stop to the appointment of individuals without technical education backgrounds to key administrative positions in the technical education sector, including director, assistant director, board chairman, deputy secretary, exam controller, and principal. Students urged immediate recruitment of technically qualified personnel to these posts and also called for job circulars to fill all vacant posts for skilled teachers and lab assistants.
Fifth: The establishment of a separate "Ministry of Technical and Higher Education" and the formation of a "Technical Education Reform Commission."
Sixth: The establishment of a high-quality technical university to ensure higher education opportunities for students graduating from polytechnic and monotechnic institutes. They urged the government to ensure full admission of diploma graduates in the upcoming session by using temporary campuses at four under-construction engineering colleges in Narail, Natore, Khagrachhari, and Thakurgaon, under Duet's academic authority.
