In a striking display of protest, students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute wrapped themselves in white shrouds and marched through the capital’s Tejgaon area today (18 April), demanding reforms in technical education.
The symbolic “Kafan Michhil,” or funeral shroud procession, began after Jummah prayers from the institute’s Jame Mosque and briefly disrupted traffic around Saat Rasta. But the students said the disruption was necessary to spotlight their six-point charter of demands—chief among them, cancelling a 30% quota allowing craft instructors to be promoted as junior instructors.
“We didn’t get any written assurance or real steps from the ministry. They’re just delaying,” said student representative Mashfiq Islam, expressing frustration after talks with education officials failed the previous day.
The students’ list of demands reflects long-standing grievances: scrapping open-age admission to the Diploma in Engineering, reserving 10th-grade jobs for diploma holders, halting appointments of candidates without technical backgrounds, and establishing both a dedicated ministry and a reform commission for technical education.
On Wednesday, students had already brought parts of the country to a standstill by blocking roads and railways. That same day, in response to the protests, Dhaka Polytechnic’s principal Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Khan was removed from his post.
“This isn’t just about jobs,” said another student, Saiful Islam. “It’s about dignity and the future of technical education. We’ll keep going until real changes happen.”