Sylhet Engineering College teachers freed after 33hrs amid student protest

Teachers and employees of Sylhet Engineering College were freed after remaining confined inside the administrative building for around 33 hours, but students continued their protest demanding the college's separation from the Directorate of Technical Education and affiliation with Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST).

The teachers came out of the administrative building around 9:30pm yesterday (28 September), the college's acting principal Associate Professor Asaduzzaman told The Business Standard.

"Teachers and employees were able to leave the building around 9:30pm. However, normalcy has not returned to the campus as the students' protest continues," he said.

The standoff began around 1pm on Sunday (27 September), when students launched a movement demanding that the college be removed from the Directorate of Technical Education's jurisdiction.

At one stage, the students took position in front of the main gate of the administrative building and locked it, preventing the acting principal, 14 teachers and six to seven other officers and employees from leaving. They remained inside the building until Monday night.

The students resumed their protest on Monday morning (28 September), chanting slogans and blocking the administrative building. Classes, examinations, laboratory work and academic and administrative activities remained suspended.

The students said they would continue the movement until the Education Ministry issues a notification formally separating the college from the Directorate of Technical Education and affiliating it with SUST.

During the day, representatives of the protesting students held a meeting with Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun at the DC office. Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury also attended the meeting.

Later in the evening, the deputy commissioner and city corporation administrator went to the college campus and held a lengthy meeting with the protesters. They assured the students of addressing their demands and also urged them to release the teachers and employees who had remained confined inside the administrative building for nearly two days.

The discussions continued in several rounds from afternoon to evening, but the students initially refused to change their position.

The administrative building was eventually unlocked at night, allowing the confined teachers and employees to leave. The students, however, continued their protest.

According to students, the college's affiliation with the Directorate of Technical Education was undermining the distinctiveness and professional standing of their BSc in Engineering degrees.

They had been carrying out various programmes for a long time demanding a change but had yet to see any effective decision from the authorities.

They said the college should be brought out of the Directorate of Technical Education and placed under SUST to protect the status of their engineering degrees and improve the quality of education.

"Until a visible decision is made to free the college from the Directorate of Technical Education and affiliate it with SUST, our movement will continue," a student leading the movement told TBS.

The students also said classes, examinations, laboratory work and other academic and administrative activities would remain suspended until the Education Ministry issues a notification on the matter.

Meanwhile, the education ministry's Technical and Madrasah Education Division issued a notification on Sunday regarding changes to the acting principal's responsibilities.

According to the notification, Associate Professor Md Asaduzzaman, who had been serving as acting principal, was transferred to Faridpur Engineering College, while Associate Professor Md Sahid Iqbal of Mymensingh Engineering College was appointed acting principal of Sylhet Engineering College. Both officials were instructed to join their new workplaces by 28 September.

However, a student leading the movement said the protesters had rejected the transfer order.

"The transferred principal will not be allowed to leave the campus, and the newly appointed acting principal will not be allowed to enter until our demands are met," the student said.

Assistant Professor Md Khalilur Rahman, who was among those confined inside the administrative building, said the issue could only be resolved by higher authorities.

"The issue cannot be resolved by us without intervention from the higher authorities. Yet they have kept us confined. We have been inside the building for two days," he said.

Established in 2007, Sylhet Engineering College offers undergraduate programmes in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering. Around 1,000 students are enrolled across five batches in the three departments.