B'desh: Agriculture diploma students stage blockade demanding higher education opportunities

Dhaka(The Uttam Hindu): Another protest movement has gripped Bangladesh as agricultural diploma students announced the 'Agri Blockade' programme and staged a sit-in demonstration blocking all the gates of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamarbari in Dhaka on Monday. The protestors under the banner of the 'Agricultural Diploma Student Rights Movement' are demanding opportunities for higher education along with eight other key demands, local media reported.

Earlier on Sunday, students from agricultural diploma programs across the country held a rally and sit-in program in front of the National Shaheed Minar, Dhaka, with the same demands. As the gates were blocked, the staff and officials were not allowed to enter the premises, and everyone waited outside after arriving at the office on Monday. The protest also led to severe traffic congestion on the road.

The police and army personnel have been on high alert with their presence in the area. A participating student in the sit-in programme, Asaduzzaman Abir, said that nearly 2,000 students are taking part in this movement, the leading Bangladeshi newspaper, The Dhaka Tribune, reported. "In the country, there are about 25,000 students enrolled in a four-year diploma course in 18 government Agricultural Training Institutes and 260 private agricultural colleges. These students face discrimination in employment and higher education opportunities," the student said.

The students outlined several key demands, including the following: diploma agriculturists should be given the opportunity to pursue higher education at public agricultural universities. Additionally, the shortage of teachers must be addressed to enhance the quality of agricultural diploma education.

Furthermore, they proposed that agricultural diploma education be removed from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and placed entirely under the Ministry of Agriculture. There were also other concerns related to job opportunities, salaries, and allowances. In a separate development earlier this week, students of polytechnic institutes staged protests in multiple cities across the country, blocking key highways and rail lines. Continuing with their protest on Sunday, these Polytechnic students started their grand rally in Dhaka against attacks on their fellows and pressing their six-point demand, according to a report in The Daily Star.

In recent months, Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in student protest movements under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government amid a deteriorating law and order situation in the country.