Examinees suspend protest temporarily

Protesting Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees have  temporarily suspended their street protests, while reaffirming its demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Science Laboratory intersection in Dhaka on Thursday, student representatives said demonstrations scheduled for the day has been postponed because of heavy rainfall and concern over disruption to the public.

Yet protesters said their campaign will continue until their sole demand is met.

They argued  the government has failed to provide a fair resolution to issues surrounding the ongoing HSC examinations, prompting a wave of demonstrations. 

Mohammad Ryan, an HSC candidate from Ideal College, Dhanmondi, said the day's programme has been withdrawn out of consideration for public suffering caused by the adverse weather.

"We have suspended today's programme because of the rain and the inconvenience faced by the public. But we have not retreated from our demands," he said.

Students maintained that their movement was not directed against the government. Rather, they said they were seeking the government's cooperation in resolving their concerns.

They alleged that despite being aware of the situation, the education minister failed to address issues that they believe have created uncertainty for an entire batch of HSC examinees.

To prevent what they described as attempts to politicise the movement, the protesters said only students carrying valid institutional identity cards would be allowed to participate in future programmes.

They also claimed that those who chanted slogans calling for the government's ouster or attempted to create disorder during recent demonstrations were outsiders and had no connection with the movement.

Responding to a question about a Facebook page known as the "Broiler Chicken Party," which has drawn attention on social media in connection with the protests, the students denied any affiliation with the page.

"We have not come to the streets to engage in politics. Our sole objective is to realise our legitimate demands, and our movement will continue until those demands are fulfilled," one of the protesters said.

The students' key demands include combining the marks obtained in the multiple-choice question (MCQ) and creative question (CQ) sections to determine the pass mark, arranging fresh examinations for candidates who were unable to sit for the tests for various reasons, and the resignation of the Education Minister.

Protesting students did not announce any fresh programme but said future decisions would be communicated after further consultations.

UNB adds:  Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said a vested quarter is attempting to exploit the ongoing protests of students to embarrass the government.

"There are certainly some groups that want to embarrass the government. They are trying to exploit various issues by concealing their identities and fishing in troubled waters. That has become evident. It has also been seen that many of those taking part in the protests are, in fact, neither students nor examination candidates," said the minister
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after attending an award and recognition ceremony for police personnel at the Secretariat.

The minister said the Ministry of Education has already clarified its position.
Candidates unable to sit for examinations due to inclement weather conditions would be given another opportunity, while students absent from the postponed Chattogram Education Board examinations would be allowed to take the tests using the same question papers once the examinations are rescheduled, he said.

Besides an investigation committee has been formed over two erroneous questions in Physics examination paper and candidates would receive marks for those questions, he said.

He also said that the Education Minister has expressed regret in Parliament.

Asked if he had any message for the protesting students, Salahuddin said the government is not attaching much importance to the demonstrations as the number of protesters remained small in a few districts and outside Dhaka.

A culture of entering the Secretariat to demand examination postponements or promotion without examinations emerged during the tenure of the interim government, but the current government would not take any decision that undermines the quality of education, he said.

The government remained committed to holding examinations in a malpractice-free environment and restoring standards in the education sector, he said.