Polytechnic students held on Sunday a rally in front of Dhaka Women Polytechnic Institute in the capital's Agargaon area to press home their six-point demand including cancellation of the High Court (HC) order promoting craft instructors to junior instructors. They also held rallies in other areas of the country for the same cause.
They called upon the government to dismiss the craft instructors who have filed the writ petition to the HC and give them an exemplary punishment. Otherwise, they said, they would not return to classrooms.
In Dhaka, protesting polytechnic students said the 'craft instructors' work as 'a lab assistant' in all public and private polytechnic institutes.
The craft instructors or lab assistants got a HC order in favour of their promotion to junior instructors following a writ petition filed by them.
As per the HC order, the craft instructors or lab assistants could be promoted to technical teacher or 'junior instructor'.
The HC verdict sparked resentment among the polytechnic students as they have been on the movement over the past few days for scrapping the order.
The protesters said polytechnic students treat craft instructors or lab assistants as 'mama' (uncle).
They said they could not accept and address the craft instructors as 'junior instructors'.
A student who disclosed her name as Lamia told the FE, "The craft instructors work at our lab. They just work as a helping hand. They work like office peon. It embarrasses us when they demand promotion as junior instructors. How can we accept them as teacher (junior instructors) as we have been treating them as mama (uncle)?."
Another student identifying himself as Md Mahmud said giving promotion to craft instructors or lab assistants as 'junior instructors' is something ridiculous.
He added the craft instructors get jobs with a commitment to providing services from the post. The craft instructors went to the HC and got order to become 'junior instructors' that is unacceptable.
He commented that around 0.4 million (four lakh) polytechnic students of the country could not accept 'craft instructors' to become as 'junior instructors'.
The students said junior instructors are appointed through competitive tests held by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission; while craft instructors are appointed without facing the Commission's exams.
They said people having the knowledge of technical matters could easily understand that if the craft instructors get promoted it will be a big irregularity.
Secretary (Technical and Madrasha ) Dr Kha M Kabirul Islam said they were regularly continuing discussions with the polytechnic students in this regard. He termed the students' six-point charter of demands as illogical.
He, however, said they were differing with the students' demands.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
