Polytechnic Students Threaten 'Long March to Dhaka' Over Unmet Demands

Polytechnic students have announced a "Long March to Dhaka" if the government fails to address their demands within the next 48 hours. The announcement came during a rally on Sunday in front of the Dhaka Mohila Polytechnic Institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, where students from across the country gathered early in the morning, marching in processions and chanting slogans while displaying placards with their six-point demands.

At the rally, speakers expressed their frustration over the prolonged protests, calling for the revocation of the High Court verdict regarding the promotion of craft instructors to junior instructors, a change in their job titles, and the dismissal of those involved. Despite eight months of peaceful protests, the students claimed the government has not taken any meaningful action. Mizanur Rahman, a central representative of the Polytechnic Student Movement, warned, “If there is no announcement accepting our rightful demands within the next 48 hours, we will march to Dhaka from all over the country.”

The students emphasized that they do not intend to cause traffic disruptions or public hardship, but they will escalate their actions if necessary to achieve their goals.

The rally also condemned a recent attack on polytechnic students in Comilla. As part of their ongoing protests, students had previously marched wearing burial shrouds on Friday and participated in the "Rise in Red" program on Saturday. On Wednesday, they blocked the Satrasta intersection in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area, but following talks with Ministry of Education officials, the students expressed dissatisfaction and vowed to continue their protests.

The students' six-point demands are as follows:

1. Cancel the court verdict allowing promotion for craft instructors and permanently dismiss those involved; abolish and revise controversial recruitment regulations.

2. Cancel the provision allowing admission to the Diploma-in-Engineering course at any age and implement a four-year curriculum, entirely taught in English.

3. Enforce the reservation of the sub-assistant engineer (10th grade) position and address the undervaluation of diploma engineers.

4. Prohibit non-technical personnel from administrative roles in technical education and ensure the recruitment of qualified technical staff; fill vacant positions for teachers and lab assistants.

5. Establish a separate "Ministry of Technical and Higher Education" and form a "Technical Education Reform Commission."

6. Expand higher education opportunities for Polytechnic and Monotechnic graduates by establishing quality technical universities and launching admission processes for newly built engineering colleges.