Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) on Monday staged demonstration to press home their five-point demand including the cancellation of direct promotion to 9th grade posts and maintaining the current admission system for agricultural universities.
They also issued a three-day ultimatum to the authorities to meet their demands.
The students made the announcement at a press briefing in the afternoon
Earlier in the day, students under the banner of "Krishi Diploma Chhatra Odhikar Andolon" staged a demonstration in front of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamarbari.
However, SAU students later intervened and dispersed them from the spot before presenting their own five-point demand.
Speaking at the press briefing, SAU student Sohanur Rahman said, “This morning, diploma and ATI students gathered here demanding a 40% quota in promotions in government jobs. But if they are granted such a large quota, where do we, the agricultural science students who studied for four years, go? They should compete with us in exams. We are not calling them unqualified. Let them sit for tests and prove their eligibility. We are not here to create chaos.”
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A coordinator of the "Krishibid Oikya Parishad" (Agriculturists' Unity Council) said, “Some of the diploma students' demands are logical and we want the government to accept those. But some of their demands are unreasonable and causing public suffering by blocking roads. If implemented, those demands will pose a serious threat to the country’s agriculture sector.”
The five-point demand of the SAU students and the Krishibid Oikya Parishad is as follows:
No one should be allowed to study in public agricultural universities without passing the existing admission tests.
There should be no scope for promotion to 9th grade posts without passing the recruitment test. Posts under the 10th grade should remain within the current structure and beyond the scope of gazette notifications.
Jobs under 10th grade (such as Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer or equivalent) should be open to both BSc and diploma degree holders.
The title "Krishibid" (agriculturist) must not be used by anyone other than graduates in agriculture or agriculture-related disciplines. A government gazette should be issued in this regard.
Agricultural diploma or technical education must be kept under the jurisdiction of agriculture-related institutions, such as the Department of Agricultural Extension.