Students Withdraw Resignation Demand, Seek Exam Reforms
Six representatives of protesting students entered the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday with a six-point list of demands, dropping their earlier demand for the resignation of the Education Minister.
At around 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the representatives left from in front of the Education Building and headed to the Secretariat. Earlier, at about 4:00 p.m., police stopped the students when they reached the Education Building. Later, six representatives were allowed to enter the Secretariat for discussions. The Students' Six-Point Demands Students who wish to retake examinations held during the disaster-affected period must be given the opportunity to do so. For students who retake the same subject, the higher score between the original examination and the retake should be counted as the final result.
Full marks should be awarded for incorrect questions included in the examination papers. Considering the ongoing unstable situation, students should be given adequate time to regain their mental composure before any rescheduled examinations are held. The examination question format was changed without prior notice, making it unfamiliar compared with previous years. This should be taken into account during the marking process. The strict and confusing conduct of some teachers acting as "vigilant invigilators" during examinations should be stopped so that candidates are not intimidated or subjected to unnecessary mental pressure. Earlier, the protesting students had been demonstrating with a three-point charter of demands, including the resignation of the Education Minister.
However, the delegation that entered the Secretariat for talks did not include the minister's resignation among its demands.