Polytechnic students have announced a nationwide rally for Saturday (20 April), intensifying their ongoing movement to press home a six-point set of demands, including the cancellation of a 30% promotion quota for craft instructors to junior instructor positions.
The announcement came after a human chain protest titled “Rise in Red” held on Friday (19 April) in front of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute in the capital's Tejgaon.
As part of the protest, students covered the institution’s nameplate with a red cloth, symbolising their discontent with the current treatment of diploma engineers and expressing solidarity with demonstrations happening across the country.
During the programme, Zobayer Patwary, a representative of the Polytechnic Students' Movement, condemned the recent attack on students in Cumilla and demanded a fair investigation along with proper treatment for those injured.
Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans including "Rokte Agun Legechhe", "Desh Goraar Hathiyar, Gorje Otho Arekbar", and "Cumillay Hamla Keno, Jobab Chai".
Students have been staging protests across Dhaka and other regions for the past four days. Their demands include the withdrawal of what they call a controversial recruitment of craft instructors in 2021, an end to open-age admissions in the Diploma in Engineering programme, and a legal mandate to reserve 10th-grade (sub-assistant engineer) positions for diploma holders.
They also call for banning the appointment of individuals without a technical education background, the formation of a separate Ministry for Technical and Higher Education, a Technical Education Reform Commission, and the establishment of a high-quality technical university.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s planned rally, students have staged a series of impactful protests. On Thursday (18 April), they held symbolic marches wearing burial shrouds, and on Wednesday, they blocked major roads in areas like Tejgaon, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur. On the same day, a meeting with education ministry officials failed to bring about a resolution, prompting students to vow continued demonstrations until their demands are fulfilled.
