Students from five government colleges withdrew from Shahbagh intersection on Sunday after blocking the busy junction for nearly an hour in protest against the proposed Dhaka Central University schooling-model ordinance.
Traffic resumed at around 12:30pm after the demonstrators stepped aside. The blockade had begun at approximately 11:45am.
Students argued that if the final ordinance for the proposed Dhaka Central University is issued, the higher secondary sections of the affiliated colleges would face uncertainty, and the long-standing heritage of these institutions would be undermined.
They demanded that the schooling model be scrapped and the existing structure of higher secondary education be retained, warning of tougher agitation programmes if their demands are not met.
Earlier in the morning, higher secondary students of Dhaka College gathered at Science Lab shortly after 11am. They were later joined by students from Government Bangla College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Shaheed Suhrawardy Government College and Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College. Marching together, they moved towards Shahbagh and took position on the main road.
Meanwhile, undergraduate students from the seven government colleges also took to the streets, demanding the swift issuance of the ordinance for the proposed Dhaka Central University. At around 12pm, they began a separate blockade at Shikkha Bhaban intersection, insisting on a single-point demand: immediate finalisation of the university ordinance.
Students noted that although the Ministry of Education has published the draft law for the proposed institution, no visible progress has been made toward issuing the final ordinance. As a result, nearly 150,000 students are facing identity concerns, academic uncertainty and anxiety over their future careers.
FP/MI
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