Sylhet Engineering College Students Refuse to Withdraw Protests Despite Administrative Talks
Students decided to continue their protests after local administration failed to offer satisfactory assurances during a meeting regarding their demands to bring Sylhet Engineering College under Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
An emergency meeting between local administration officials and agitating students of Sylhet Engineering College ended without a breakthrough, prompting students to remain steadfast in their ongoing protest. The deadlock persisted on Tuesday as students kept academic buildings and campus gates locked, continuing an agitation that entered its second consecutive day.
The breakdown in negotiations followed a late afternoon meeting on Monday at the Deputy Commissioner's office in Sylhet, where a 10-member student delegation met with top local officials, including Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury and Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun. Following the discussions, the administrators visited the campus to brief the general student body, proposing that the initiation of a process to transform the college into a full-fledged university would begin within the next three months. Officials also assured students that steps would be taken to remove the institution from the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Technical Education and to resolve existing crises regarding laboratory facilities and playgrounds.
Despite these administrative assurances, negotiations stalled when students demanded the immediate issuance of an order revoking the transfer of Acting Principal Md. Asaduzzaman. City Administrator Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury stated that officials could not provide an immediate resolution on the principal's status without further consultations with relevant authorities. The failure to secure a definitive announcement on this demand left students deeply dissatisfied, leading them to reject the administration's proposals during a subsequent internal meeting and resolve to continue their movement.
Amid the continuing standoff, protesting students lifted a 35-hour blockade late Monday night, releasing 20 teachers, officers, and staff members who had been confined inside the administrative building since Sunday morning when the protest began. However, despite the release of the captive personnel, the campus gates and academic buildings remained padlocked on Tuesday, keeping the institution paralyzed.
Established in 2007, Sylhet Engineering College currently accommodates approximately 1,000 students across five batches in three distinct departments. The institution operates under a dual administrative structure, with academic activities overseen by Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and administrative operations managed by the Directorate of Technical Education. The core grievance driving the student unrest is the demand for the complete transfer of the college's administration to Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, or alternatively, its full elevation to a university.
