Engineering College Crisis: Students Stage Sit-in for Separate Commission

On Tuesday, August 12, at around 3:45 pm, students from four specialized engineering colleges of Bangladesh—Mymensingh, Faridpur, Barisal, and Sylhet—gathered in protest in front of the Directorate of Technical Education in Agargaon, Dhaka. They demanded the formation and reform of an independent commission, continuing their movement under the banner of the “Engineering College Reform Movement.” The students have vowed to persist with their protests until their demands are met.

The students, who began a hunger strike on August 10 at noon as part of their announced program, expressed frustration that despite 52 hours passing, no representatives from the Directorate of Technical Education had checked on them. They condemned this not only as administrative negligence but also as a grave disregard for humanity.

According to the protesters, since May 20, they have been conducting an academic shutdown—including boycotting classes and exams—demanding a separate commission for their colleges. After more than two months of peaceful agitation, they started a sit-in at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar on July 27. The following day, police baton-charged the peaceful gathering, injuring nearly 500 students. The students issued a nine-day ultimatum on July 31, but no written response was received even after 10 days.

Consequently, they began the hunger strike, and when no action was taken after over 52 hours, they moved their protest to the Directorate’s premises.

The four specialized engineering colleges, long plagued by administrative and academic difficulties, have been pressing for a distinct commission modeled after the Bangladesh Institute of Technology (BIT) to restore a conducive educational environment.