Hundreds of polytechnic students took to the Chattagram city streets on Sunday to press their four-point demand, including the resumption of classes and exams.
The students blockaded roads in GEC intersection and Nasirabad of the port city in protest.
Md Shahinuzzaman, Khulshi Police Station officer-in-charge, said: “The students staged rallies and formed human chains to voice their demand. Although the protest brought traffic to a standstill temporarily, it ended peacefully.”
However, the students also demanded the withdrawal of all extra fees and reduction of semester fees in all private polytechnic institutes by 50% and addition of more seats in technical universities – including Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology – by 2021.
On Friday, the government again extended the closure of educational institutions until January 30 as the Covid-19 situation shows no sign of improvement.
The education ministry said that the decision would be effective for all educational institutions, except for the Qawmi madrasas.
The government shut schools and educational institutions on March 17 last year after the country confirmed its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. The closure was extended several times, most recently until January 16 this year.
