On Wednesday (July 15) around 3 PM, students from various locations in the capital started heading towards the Secretariat. Earlier, around 11 AM, they blocked the Science Lab intersection in the capital, causing traffic to come to a halt on surrounding roads. This led to long traffic jams and suffering for regular commuters and pedestrians.
Students participating in the program chanted various slogans including 'Who are you, who am I, farm chicken,' 'Point one, demand one, Milon's resignation,' 'Our legitimate demands must be accepted, must be accepted,' 'Burn, burn, light the fire,' and 'Action, action, direct action.'
The protesting examinees said that many students have been affected by the decision to hold exams amid the ongoing disasters, waterlogging, and overall unstable situation. Many could not reach exam centers on time, while many others were forced to take exams under mental stress. Therefore, they demanded the opportunity for re-examination considering the interests of affected students, full marks for errors in questions, and special consideration in evaluation.
They further said that the Education Minister must resign taking responsibility for the failure to handle this situation. At the same time, they called for the swift implementation of the six-point demands raised by the students. They also announced that the movement would continue until their demands are met.
The six-point demands announced by the students are:
1. Ensure the opportunity to retake exams held in adverse weather conditions. 2. If a re-examination is held for the same subject, the higher score between the previous exam and the re-exam should be considered as the final result. 3. Full marks must be given to all examinees for questions that have errors or inconsistencies in the question paper. 4. Considering the current unstable situation, exams should start after a break of a few days to allow students to prepare mentally. 5. Grading must take into account the sudden change in the question paper pattern. 6. A student-friendly environment must be ensured at exam centers, and unnecessary strict behavior must be avoided.
