Polytechnic teachers, students and diploma engineers held a human chain program under the banner of Bangladesh Diploma Engineering Students, Teachers, Professionals and Sangram Parishad in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka from 11 am to 12 noon on August 20, demanding 7 points for modernization of the Diploma Engineering curriculum and protection of the rights of diploma engineers, a press release said.
In the human chain, diploma engineer leaders stated that in 1978, through a gazette notification, the government designated ‘Sub-Assistant Engineer/Equivalent’ for diploma engineers and reserved 33% promotion from Sub-Assistant Engineer to Assistant Engineer posts. Subsequently, in 1994, the designated Sub-Assistant Engineer post for diploma engineers was upgraded to the 10th grade, granting second-class status. Additionally, in BNBC-2020, engineers are defined as BSc engineers and diploma engineers. However, at a time when the nation is advancing toward building a discrimination-free Bangladesh post-July Revolution, students from various engineering and technology universities, under the banner of the Engineer Rights Movement, are engaging in illogical protests demanding the opening of the reserved Sub-Assistant Engineer/Equivalent posts for diploma engineers to everyone, abolishing promotions to Assistant Engineer posts and providing direct recruitment, and prohibiting anyone other than BSc engineers from using the engineer title. This is creating instability in the engineering education and workplace. This is unexpected and undesirable. They called upon the concerned parties to withdraw such outrageous demands. The leaders urged the government to immediately implement the 7 demands of the Struggle Council.
From the human chain, to maintain stability in the engineering work and education sectors, demands were raised to the government to: keep the Sub-Assistant Engineer/Equivalent posts reserved exclusively for diploma engineers in light of the existing gazette notification; increase promotions from Sub-Assistant Engineer to Assistant Engineer posts to 50%; modernize the Diploma in Engineering curriculum in English version according to the demands of the era; address teacher shortages in all polytechnic and monotechnic institutes and TSCs by considering a 1:12 teacher-student ratio; divide engineering workplaces into field and desk engineering to enhance quality improvement and encourage research activities; enact laws to prohibit BSc engineers from entering other cadres besides the engineering cadre to prevent wastage of talent; formulate manpower structures in all engineering organizations at a 1:5 ratio according to the international engineering team concept; and allow diploma engineering certificate holders to pursue higher education through credit transfer in all engineering and technology universities and engineering colleges.
The program featured speeches by Struggle Council Convener Engr. Md. Akheruzzaman, Member Secretary Engr. Md. Imam Uddin, IDEB Central Committee Convener Engr. Md. Kabir Hossain, Engr. Md. Solaiman (VP), Engr. Mirza Mizanur Rahman, Engr. Moniruzzaman, Engr. Md. Rayhan Mia, Engr. Golam Kibria, Engr. Mostafa Kamal, Engr. Md. Shahbudin Sabu, Engr. Md. Zillur Rahman Khan, Engr. Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, Engr. Abdullah Al Hamid Nirab, Engr. Mominul Islam, Engr. Mosarraf Hossain Radi, Engr. Md. Tuhinuzzaman, student leader Rahmat Ullah Shihab, Ramzan Ali, Habibur Rahman, and others.
