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The protesters say they will take to the rail tracks across the country to further their cause
Published : 17 Apr 2025, 01:24 AM
Students from both government and private polytechnic institutions, who had blocked roads to press for their six-point list of demands, have now announced a nationwide railway blockade.
The protesters, who ended their road blockade on Wednesday evening, said they would take to the rail tracks across the country on Thursday to further their cause.
Rifat Ahmed Shanto, a student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, told bdnews24.com that students plan to block the Karwan Bazar rail gate at 11am on Thursday, after the SSC exams commence in the capital.
Ramzan Ali, another student of the same institute, said the decision for the new “rail blockade” was taken around 6:30pm, shortly after the daylong road protests concluded on Wednesday.
At a briefing held at the Saat Rasta intersection, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute student Jobayer Patwari said: “Tomorrow [Thursday], we have announced a nationwide rail blockade. If you belittle the role of technical students in the reform of this country, the reform of the nation, the development of this country will never be possible.”
“We have withdrawn our programme from here as of today [Wednesday],” he added.
Mashrik, another student identified by a single name from the institute, said: “Today [Wednesday], polytechnic students across Bangladesh have launched this non-cooperation movement. On behalf of the government, our departments and ministries must listen to our demands and implement them quickly.”
He said students from polytechnic institutes throughout the country would gather on Thursday to block railway tracks simultaneously, in a coordinated protest for their demands.
Asked about whether any dialogue had taken place between the government and the protesters, Rehena Yasmin, additional secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division of the Ministry of Education, told bdnews24.com: “We have tried to talk to the students all day. But they did not respond.”
“I cannot comment on this apart from discussing the demands with them,” she added.
Md Mostafizur Rahman Khan, the former principal of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, said efforts to engage with the protesting students had been ongoing since the beginning of the movement.
“Since the beginning of the movement, we have been trying to discuss with the students in several ways, trying to convince them; but they do not want to understand,” he said.
Suggesting that the students were being influenced by external forces, Rahman alleged: “They are motivated by others. They are doing this with the encouragement from several circles of the Awami League. An appointment rule cannot be changed just by wanting, it takes time. But it is not advisable to block Saat Rasta all day for this.”
Earlier on Wednesday morning, students had blocked roads in key areas of the capital including Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur, as part of their protest.
Their simultaneous occupation of busy roadways led to paralysing traffic congestion across Dhaka, bringing distress to commuters.
When it began to rain later in the day, some students were seen playing football on the roads, but they remained in place until evening, when the blockade was finally lifted.
Following are the six demands made by the protesting students:
1. Cancellation of the High Court verdict promoting craft instructors to junior instructor posts, along with a change in the title of craft instructor, permanent dismissal of all involved in the case, and immediate annulment of the 2021 recruitment rules. Protesters also demanded a fair investigation and action against those responsible.
2. Continuation of the four-year Diploma Engineering course, and the formulation of a modern, standardised syllabus and curriculum.
3. Exclusive eligibility for the post of Deputy Assistant Engineer and equivalent (10th grade) for students who have completed a four-year Diploma in Engineering or Monotechnology (Surveying). Private diploma graduates should receive a minimum basic salary of Tk 16,000.
4. Enforcement of the Technical Education Reform Committee's report outlining the appointment of technically educated personnel in positions such as directors, deputy directors, principals, and others within the technical sector.
5. Revision of all controversial recruitment rules under the Directorate of Technical Education and publication of recruitment notices to fill vacant posts with technically educated teachers and lab assistants in polytechnic institutes and Technical School and Colleges (TSCs).
6. Publication of a gazette to establish a university for higher education of Diploma in Engineering and Monotechnology graduates, and reservation of 100 percent of seats for them in the proposed four engineering colleges in Naogaon, Thakurgaon, Narail, and Khagrachhari.
