Students lock administrative building of Kushtia Polytechnic over six-point demand
Students of Kushtia Polytechnic Institute locked the administrative building today (27 April) as part of their protest over a six-point charter of demand, including the revocation of a controversial 30% promotion quota allocated to craft instructors for the post of junior instructor.
Students started demonstrating in front of the administrative offices around 11am and locked the building around 11:30am. Officials who were inside exited the building through the back gate.
Students continued their protest at the spot, chanting various slogans until noon.
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Morshed Ali, a protesting student, said locking the administrative building was part of a central movement.
"The lock would not be opened until our demands are met," he said.
Another protesting student, Touhid Akter Rima, said, "We will continue our movement. If necessary, we will call for even tougher programmes."
Kushtia Polytechnic Institute Principal Ruhul Amin could not be reached for a comment.
Polytechnic students have been demonstrating across the country for the past few weeks for the implementation of their demands.
Students claim that diploma engineers — the primary qualified candidates for junior instructor roles — are being sidelined in favour of craft instructors, many of whom lack formal technical education and hold only Class Eight, SSC, or HSC qualifications. They argue this dilutes the quality of education and disrespects years of technical training.
Their other demands include requiring diploma degrees for all junior instructor positions, hiring technically educated individuals in all relevant posts, and establishing engineering universities in every divisional city to serve polytechnic graduates. They also want diploma engineers to be eligible for primary school teaching positions, implementation of a minimum salary scale in the private sector, and the complete removal of the 30% quota for craft instructors.
The students had postponed their protest on 22 April following an assurance from the government. The interim government has formed an eight-member committee to formulate a roadmap for the implementation of their demands.
