Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees have blocked the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway in Uttara as part of their previously announced “Long March to the Ministry of Education”, causing severe disruption to traffic.
The students took to the road at around 1:30pm on Wednesday after completing their examinations. They gathered in front of the BNS Center in Uttara and blocked all four lanes of the highway, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The protesters included students from RAJUK Uttara Model College, Nawab Habibullah College and Uttara High School.
A student from Nawab Habibullah College said the demonstrators would continue their campaign until their demands were met.
“We are standing up for our rights. We demand the resignation of the education minister. We will continue our long march,” the student said.
The protest movement began with demands to postpone the HSC and equivalent examinations because of severe flooding in parts of the Chattogram and Sylhet regions. It intensified on Tuesday with road blockades in several areas, clashes with police and calls for the resignation of Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon.
Despite the demonstrations, no agreement has been reached between the protesters and the authorities.
The government has said the examinations will continue as scheduled across the country, except in the flood-affected districts of Chattogram Division.
The protesting students had earlier warned they would march towards the Secretariat if Wednesday's examinations went ahead as planned.
The sixth day of the HSC and equivalent examinations was held on Wednesday despite the ongoing protests.
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