BUET students continue protests

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology entered into a stalemate as students on Wednesday continued demonstrations for the fifth consecutive day, boycotting all academic activities to press home their sixteen-point charter of demands.
Protestors on the day padlocked academic building, administrative buildings, including vice-chancellor’s office, besides boycotting classes and examinations.
They also staged a sit-in from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the university Shaheed Minar and brought out a procession and blocked the road in front of the institute to press home their demands.
Earlier on Saturday, students submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor and issued a three-day ultimatum to fulfill their demands which was ignored by the authorities.
Protesters vowed to continue the movement until their demands were met. They also said that they would not go back to their classes at merely verbal assurance.
Their 16-point demand includes forming a special committee comprising teachers of civil engineering and architecture departments to build the BUET gate, infrastructural development of the residential halls, organising a competition among students interested to design the gate, removing the ‘controversial’ director of the Directorate of Student’s Welfare and appointing someone else to the post, introducing teacher evaluation system, naming the female dormitory after Sabekun Nahar Sony, re-introducing the system of giving double supplementary to students who acquire 108 credit, completing infrastructural development projects which were halted, digitalising students’ payment process, increasing allocation for research, and introducing code system instead of roll in exams.
Meanwhile, BUET Teachers’ Association in a statement urged the university authorities to solve the crisis as soon as possible. 
On Wednesday, in a statement signed by teachers’ association president AKM Masud and general secretary Mustafa Ali expressed grave concern over the standoff of the university.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net