Students of Sylhet Engineering College have been demonstrating for nearly 32 hours by confining 14 teachers, including the outgoing principal, demanding release from the Directorate of Technical Education. 

They began the programme by confining the 14 teachers in the administrative building around 11am on Sunday. 

The programme was still ongoing and the teachers remained confined as of 7pm Monday, when this report was written. 

Additionally, when the new principal, Associate Professor Md Shahid Iqbal, went to join his post on Monday, he was barred from entering the campus. 

A fourth-year student who was with the college students’ representative delegation and did not want to be named said, “They assured us several times that they will turn the college into a university, but it has still not been implemented. They want to stop the movement by giving us this assurance.” 

He said the situation would not change until all the demands are met. 

Later, around 4pm Monday, a 10-member student delegation held a meeting with Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun and Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, but no solution could be reached.

Speaking to Daily Waadaa after the meeting, Sylhet DC Mamun said it seemed the students’ main demand was to cancel the transfer of the principal.  

Amid the protests, an official order issued by the Technical and Madrasa Education Division of the Ministry of Education on Sunday had transferred Associate Professor Md Asaduzzaman, who was serving as acting principal of Sylhet Engineering College, to Faridpur Engineering College. 

DC Mamun believed aside from the transfer, the academic and administrative matters would have to be handled separately.

“It is not possible to resolve these issues in one day.” 

On the students’ demand of having the college under the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology umbrella, he said this would be done.

“Discussions have been held about this. We have said that this will take some time. I will forward the memorandum they submitted to us again today.” 

He said aside from the demands of being turned into an independent institute and cancelling the principal’s transfer, the protesters also want to cancel the transfer of two teachers who have diploma qualifications. 

“What we are saying is that these things will take time. We will inform the appropriate authorities. But they want an instant solution. We cannot provide an instant solution just because we want to. I do not have the authority to cancel the official order.”

SCC Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury said the protesters wanted all their demands to be met  in one day, which was not possible. 

Established in 2007, the undergraduate engineering college has around 1,000 students in five batches across the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, and Department of Computer Science and Engineering. 

Almost all the students have participated in the programme.

What do students want?

The students allege that as the college is operated under the Directorate of Technical Education, questions are being raised about the distinctiveness and professional status of their BSc engineering degree. 

For a long time, they have been demanding that the college be affiliated with Shahjalal University of Science and Technology or the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), instead of the Directorate of Technical Education. 

However, frustration has grown among the students as they have not received the desired solution.