Dhaka students protest rise in creative questions

"We know we are supposed to be in reading room instead of protesting on the street. What else can we do as a government decision about question patterns of examinations brought us here?" said a student of Dhaka Imperial College.

He made this remark when several hundred students of different schools and colleges yesterday were demonstrating in the capital, protesting the decision to raise the number of creative questions in SSC and HSC examinations.

Under the banner of Dhaka Shadharan Chhatra Samaj, they staged a two-hour sit-in before Jatiya Press Club from 1:00pm halting vehicular movement in the area and kept the Shahbagh intersection blocked for half an hour from 3:00pm.

The students demanded that the government repeal the decision and reinstate the previous system of answering six creative questions instead of seven, reasoning that it will difficult for them to answer all the seven questions unless the time is increased. "The government should change their decision thinking about our excessive study load. If they don't do so, we will go on a tougher movement soon," said a student of Government Science College.

A student of Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Govt College said, "The government took the sudden decision just one month before our test examinations, which is completely unacceptable. We will not be able to take proper preparations within this little time." Earlier at 11:00am, they also held a human chain in Shahbagh.

During their protests, they condemned the Thursday's baton charges by police on students in Chittagong when they were protesting the decision. Today, they will hold a press conference in Dhaka University Modhur Canteen.