District Correspondent, Sylhet: Students of Sylhet Polytechnic Institute staged a blockade on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in the Chandipul area with six-point demands.
The protest took place from 12 PM to 1 PM on Wednesday, during which traffic on the highway was halted for about an hour. Later, with the cooperation of the army and police, the situation was brought under control. The agitated students announced plans to continue their movement in the city’s Chowhatta area on Thursday.
From the morning, students started gathering at the Sylhet Polytechnic Institute campus. They then marched to the Chandipul area in a procession.
Previously, the students had taken to the streets with the same six-point demand, which they reiterated during today’s protest.
The six-point demands of the students are as follows:
1. Abolish the 30% promotion quota for craft instructors to the junior instructor position.
Cancel the illegal promotion of craft instructors to junior instructors as declared by the High Court.
Change the designation of craft instructors and terminate the jobs of those involved in related lawsuits.
Completely nullify the nighttime recruitment of craft instructors in 2021 and amend the controversial recruitment policy immediately.
2. Eliminate the opportunity for admission to the Diploma-in-Engineering course at any age.
Introduce a quality four-year curriculum similar to that of developed countries.
Gradually transition academic activities to the English medium.
3. Take legal action against government, state, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions where diploma engineers are appointed to lower positions despite reserved positions for graduates of sub-assistant engineer or equivalent (10th grade).
4. Ban the appointment of non-technical personnel in all positions related to the technical sector, including director, assistant director, board chairman, deputy secretary, exam controller, and principal.
Ensure legal recruitment of personnel with technical education in these positions.
Immediately appoint skilled teachers and lab assistants to all vacant positions and publish related job announcements.
5. Establish a separate ‘Ministry of Technical and Higher Education’ and form a ‘Technical Education Reform Commission.’
6. Establish a high-quality technical university to ensure higher education opportunities for graduates from polytechnic and monotechnic institutes.
For the four under-construction engineering colleges (Narail, Natore, Khagrachari, and Thakurgaon), create temporary campuses for students from polytechnic and monotechnic institutes and ensure 100% seat allocation for the upcoming session under DUET’s academic activities.
