Polytechnic students protest in shrouds for 6 demands

Hundreds of polytechnic students staged a dramatic demonstration in Dhaka on Thursday, marching through the streets wearing shrouds to press home their six-point demand, including cancellation of the 30% promotion quota for craft instructors to junior instructor posts.

The symbolic protest began after Jummah prayers from the Jame Mosque of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute in Tejgaon and caused significant traffic disruption in the area.

Chanting slogans such as "Be united, polytechnic be united," the students demanded the immediate cancellation of the 2021 appointments of craft instructors, which they labelled controversial. They also opposed the policy allowing open-age admission into Diploma in Engineering courses.

Their demands include legal recognition for diploma engineers in 10th-grade government posts (equivalent to sub-assistant engineer), ensuring technical backgrounds for technical education roles, and the formation of a separate Ministry of Technical and Higher Education.

The students also called for the establishment of a Technical Education Reform Commission and a high-standard technical university to promote quality technical education.

On Wednesday, students had blocked roads and rail tracks across the country, creating widespread disruption. That same day, the principal of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Khan, was removed and reassigned to the Directorate of Technical Education in response to growing protests.

After a meeting with Additional Secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, Rehana Yasmin, the students declared the talks "unsatisfactory" and vowed to escalate their movement.

"We received no official assurance or written response. The ministry has been stalling on every issue," said student representative Mashfiq Islam.

With tensions running high, the students have warned of tougher demonstrations if their demands remain unmet.