Opposition to proposed model: Dhaka College higher secondary students stage protest

Higher secondary students of Dhaka College staged a protest and held a press conference today opposing the proposed schooling model in the draft ordinance for Dhaka Central University.

The protest began from the college's main gate. The students then blocked the Science Lab intersection for about 10 minutes, halting vehicle movement temporarily.

Later, they held a press conference in front of the college's Shahid Minar.

An anonymous student participating in the protest said, "We are staging a peaceful demonstration against the attempt to implement the university model on Dhaka College premises. We support Dhaka Central University, but we have objections to the proposed model. We believe this model is detrimental to our higher secondary students. We demand the cancellation of this draft ordinance."

During the press conference, Dhaka College higher secondary second-year student Walid Hasan Rahim said, "We are not against the honours students' demand for a university. They can seek it from their position. But we have concerns about the structure in which the university will be established. We think this model will be harmful for our higher secondary students. If these issues are not resolved quickly, we will soon launch a larger movement. We, the higher secondary students, are fighting for our existence."

The students expressed resentment towards the Education Ministry for not consulting all stakeholders before drafting the ordinance.