Staff Reporter :
Students of Dhaka’s Eden Mohila College have blocked roads to press home a five-point demand, keeping the institution reserved exclusively for women and preventing the dissolution of any department.
The protesters descended on the road in front of the college around 11am on Wednesday, chanting slogans to emphasise their demands, according to Lalbagh Police Station chief Mostafa Kamal. In addition to the students, teachers of the college carrying banners also stood outside the institution’s main entrance.
They have demanded several points, including maintaining the independent structure of the seven colleges in Dhaka, including Eden, and cancelling the schooling model and hybrid method in the draft ordinance of Dhaka Central University
“They are occupying the road to press for five demands. We are trying to persuade them to leave,” OC Mostafa said.
Officer Mostafa said although the students briefly cleared the road, they later returned and resumed the demonstration, disrupting traffic along the busy stretch and resulting in suffering for commuters.
In response to the student protests, the government has been finalising the process of forming the Dhaka Central University with the seven Dhaka colleges.
The undergraduate students, higher secondary students, and teachers of these colleges, however, have taken opposing stances on the issue. Under the proposed structure of the Dhaka Central University, officials of the BCS General Education Cadre, who are employed as teachers in the seven colleges and other government colleges across the country, fear that fundamental rights like promotions will be curtailed.
The education ministry published the draft ordinance of the Dhaka Central University on Sept 24.
