Technical Students’ Movement Threatens ‘Long March to Dhaka’ if Demands Are Not Met Within 48 Hours

Staff Reporter | April 20, 2025

The Technical Students’ Movement, an organization of students from polytechnic institutes under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board, has threatened a ‘Long March to Dhaka’ program if their six-point demands are not met within 48 hours.

The warning came from a grand rally held in front of the Women’s Polytechnic Institute in Agargaon, Dhaka, at noon on Sunday. Movement representative Nishan Rahman announced, “If no resolution to our six-point demands is reached within 48 hours, we will call for a Long March to Dhaka.”

Another representative of the movement stated, “We no longer trust verbal assurances. We are boycotting all discussions held in air-conditioned rooms. If our demands are not met, we will initiate tougher programs.”

Earlier in the morning, students from various public and private polytechnic institutes in Dhaka began gathering in front of the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute. Around 11:00 AM, they organized a protest march, which ended in a rally in front of the Women’s Polytechnic Institute in Agargaon.

During the rally, they chanted slogans such as “Who am I, who are you? Diploma Engineers”; “Raise your arms, roar once more”; “Diploma Engineers are the tools to build the nation”; and “Unite, unite, polytechnics unite.”

On Saturday, April 19, a student named Zubair Patwary, speaking on behalf of the movement, had announced today’s grand rally during a demonstration held in front of the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute under the banner “Rise in Red.”

Previously, on Wednesday, April 17, polytechnic students across the country blocked roads, highways, and railways as part of their protest over the six-point demands. Dissatisfaction with the discussions held at the Ministry of Education on Thursday led students to continue their demonstrations. On Friday, they observed a “shroud rally” program nationwide.

The six-point demands are:
1. Ensuring promotion opportunities for Craft Instructors by canceling the High Court’s verdict;
2. Changing designations and dismissing those involved in the lawsuit;
3. Completely canceling the 2021 recruitment and adopting a revised recruitment policy;
4. Introducing age limits and quality curricula for the Diploma-in-Engineering course;
5. Gradually conducting the course entirely in English;
6. Reserving tenth-grade positions for four-year diploma holders and taking legal action against lower-grade recruitments.