Students of different polytechnic institutes in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Thursday boycotted examinations and blocked roads and railway tracks demanding abolition of the 30 per cent promotion quota for craft instructors in junior instructor positions.
The demonstrations in Dhaka, Chattogram, Mymensingh, Tangail and other places halted vehicular movements and disrupted rail communications for hours causing sufferings to passengers.聽
Protesting students alleged that the 30 per cent promotion quota for craft instructors in junior instructor positions would hamper the quality education as the craft instructors did not come from the technical background.
Dhaka Polytechnic Institute students blocked the Satrasta intersection in the capital鈥檚 Tejgaon area for about an hour from about 12:00pm pressing for their six-point demand leading to huge traffic congestion in the area.聽聽
Khaled Saifullah, a student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, said that polytechnic students across the country were demonstrating to press home their six-point demand, including immediate abolition of the 30 per cent quota for craft instructors in junior instructor posts.
Their other demands included allowing only engineers to apply for the post of deputy assistant engineer or its equivalent post and reserving it for diploma engineers, increasing the duration of the diploma engineering course to four years and the semester duration to six months, putting an end to teachers鈥� crisis by recruiting in the vacant posts, and ensuring 100 per cent seats for diploma students for higher studies in four proposed technical colleges.
Another protesting student, Jubayar Patoyary, said that polytechnic students had been protesting against promotion for nontechnical craft instructors in the junior instructor position for a long time and a court rule regarding the issue on March 18 sparked the protests.
鈥榃e have denounced all non-technical craft instructors in all polytechnic institutions and boycotted the mid-term examinations,鈥� Jubayar said, adding that protesters will continue their protests until their demands are met.
Tejgaon industrial area police officer-in-charge Gazi Shamimur Rahman said that police rushed to the area on information and persuaded them to lift the blockade.
抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Chattogram reported that students of Chattogram Polytechnic Institute blocked roads and railway tracks at the city鈥檚 Gate 2 intersection for about three hours from 11:30am to 2:30pm pressing for the same demands.
Due to the blockade, the Cox鈥檚 Bazar Express train from Dhaka was halted. Later, police intervention led the students to withdraw from both the road and the railway tracks.
Chattogram railway station master Abu Jafar Mojumder said that the Cox鈥檚 Bazar-bound Parjatak Express had been stuck since 2:00pm due to the blockade, causing sufferings to passengers.
Mofiz Uddin, one of the protesting students, said, 鈥楾hose who were responsible for opening and closing lab doors are now being appointed as teachers.鈥�
Students of Mymensingh Polytechnic Institute also blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Digarkanda bypass area in Mymensingh for about one and a half hours from about 12 noon to press home the same demands.
They lift the blockade after intervention of the institute administration and police at about 2:00pm.
Besides, students of Bogura Polytechnic Institute, Sylhet Polytechnic Institute, Sylhet Polytechnic Institute, Barishal Polytechnic Institute and Tangail Polytechnic Institute, among others, staged demonstrations pressing their demands.
