Students refuse to budge amid nationwide education shutdown in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The protesting students are refusing to budge from their demand of public jobs reforms, amid the complete closure of educational institutions across Bangladesh.

The South Asian nation shut all educational institutions after violent protests seeking reforms to the jobs quota killed six people on Tuesday.

Authorities declared the Dhaka University syndicate closed indefinitely while the university administration has ordered the students of 18 residential hostels to vacate by later this evening.

However, students have positioned themselves in various locations, including near the vice chancellor’s residence, to pressure him into reversing the university closure decision.

Students, particularly those at Dhaka University, the epicenter of the movement, are refusing to vacate campuses.

Mohammad Mahin Sarkar, a student protester at Dhaka University, told Anadolu: “We won’t leave the campus until our demands for quota reform are fully met.”

Thousands of students have been demonstrating after a court reinstated quotas for government jobs, which were abolished in 2018.

The system reserves 56% of government job entry positions for certain demographics and classes. Of the current 56% quota, 30% of all jobs in the public sector are reserved for the families of those who participated in the 1971 liberation war.

Students are demanding that quotas for civil service jobs be abolished and given to candidates based on merit.

The Education Ministry Tuesday night shut down all schools, colleges, madrasas, technical institutions, and polytechnic institutes under its control.

The situation escalated on Wednesday, prompting the University Grants Commission to shut universities.

All public and private universities, along with their affiliated colleges, were closed. To minimize risks further, students were instructed to vacate their dormitories.

Social media giant Facebook is also facing restrictions in the country, according to watchdog NetBlocks.

*SM Najmus Sakib also contributed to the story

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