Polytechnic students across the country have temporarily relaxed their nationwide rail blockade as they prepare to join a meeting at the invitation of the education adviser, following the intervention of the chief adviser.
The announcement was made in a press release issued on Thursday (17 April) by the organisation Technical Student Movement, Bangladesh.
According to the statement, the group will take part in discussions on Thursday, responding to the education adviser’s invitation. With consensus from polytechnic institutes nationwide, the students have agreed to suspend the rail blockade for the duration of the talks.
The press note further stated that the next course of action for all polytechnic institutes across the country will be announced based on the outcome of the meeting.
Earlier on Thursday, polytechnic students had declared a nationwide rail blockade. On Wednesday evening, they had withdrawn their daytime protest only to unveil a fresh schedule of demonstrations.
Since Wednesday morning, students had launched coordinated road blockades nationwide, demanding the establishment of a high-quality technical university to facilitate higher education, alongside five other demands.
The six-point charter of demands is as follows:
- Judicial Reversal and Reform: The High Court verdict that upheld the unlawful promotions of craft instructors to junior instructor posts must be annulled. The title of "Craft Instructor" must be redefined, and all individuals involved in the legal dispute must be permanently dismissed. Appointments made under the cloak of night in 2021 must be fully revoked and the controversial recruitment policy amended without delay.
- Curriculum Reform and Language Shift: The option for admission to the Diploma-in-Engineering course at any age must be discontinued. In line with global standards, a robust four-year curriculum must be implemented and, from the next regulations onward, academic activities should be gradually conducted entirely in English.
- Reserved Quota Enforcement: Though the post of Sub-Assistant Engineer (10th grade) is reserved for graduates of four-year Diploma-in-Engineering and Monotechnic (Surveying) programmes, various public, autonomous and state-run institutions continue to appoint diploma engineers to inferior posts. Legal action must be taken against such practices.
- Appointment of Technically Skilled Personnel: Recruitment of non-technical individuals to pivotal roles such as Director, Assistant Director, Board Chair, Deputy Secretary, Controller of Examinations and Principal in the technical education sector must be strictly prohibited and legally enforced. These posts must urgently be filled with qualified personnel from technical backgrounds, alongside recruitment drives to fill all vacant teaching and laboratory assistant positions.
- Structural Reform and Autonomy: To combat discrimination and neglect within technical education and to produce a skilled workforce, a separate Ministry of Technical and Higher Education must be formed without delay, along with the establishment of a Technical Education Reform Commission.
- Higher Education Access and Expansion: A top-tier technical university must be established to provide higher education opportunities for graduates of polytechnic and monotechnic institutes. Furthermore, the four engineering colleges currently under construction—in Narail, Naogaon, Khagrachhari and Thakurgaon—must immediately offer temporary campuses and academic programmes under DUET’s affiliation, ensuring 100% admission capacity for the upcoming session.
The student movement remains poised, hinging on the government's response during Thursday’s talks.
