Public college teachers announced class boycott for today at all government colleges, protesting at the alleged attack on some teachers of Dhaka College by their students on its campus on Monday.
The incident reportedly happened in the morning when a section of Dhaka College students were preparing to join a march towards the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education headquarters Shikkha Bhaban, demanding the issuance of an ordinance to establish proposed Dhaka Central University.
Meanwhile, in the evening of the day, students of the seven colleges, previously affiliated with Dhaka University, postponed their sit-in after education adviser Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar had assured them about meeting their demand.
Following the scuffle at Dhaka College, BCS General Education Association, a Bangladesh Civil Service education cadre鈥檚 organisation, called the boycott after a meeting with government college teachers at Dhaka College on Monday, said association member secretary Masud Rana Khan.
鈥楾eachers will boycott all classes, wear black badges and hold sit-ins at all government colleges across the country to protest at today鈥檚 (Monday) attack on teachers,鈥� Masud Rana Khan said.
A video clip, claimed to be of the incident, circulated on the social media showed two groups locked in a scuffle.
Witnesses said that the scuffle happened on Monday morning after a student had allegedly called a teacher 鈥榗ollaborator鈥� and in response the teachers caught him and locked him in a room.
Dhaka College student Abrar Fahad Reza, who was locked in a room, however, claimed that the students did not attack the teachers.
Rather teachers along with higher secondary-level students attacked him before the students鈥� march, he said.
In the morning on the day, several hundred students from the seven colleges marched towards Shikkha Bhaban and began a sit-in on the road from around 11:00am in front of it till they met with education adviser Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar in the evening.
Vehicular movement on the Shikkha Bhaban-Secretariat road halted during the demonstration.聽聽聽
The protesters declared that they would not return to classes until the government announced a specific date for promulgating the ordinance for establishing Dhaka Central University.
A 23-member representative team of the students of the seven colleges went to the secretariat at about 3:40pm to discuss their demands with the authorities.
Emerging from the meeting with the adviser at about 6:30pm, students announced withdrawal of the sit-in, saying that the adviser assured them that the draft ordinance would be finalised and published soon.
鈥楢s a result, we are postponing the sit-in for today (Monday). We will announce our next programme after discussion with the students,鈥� Dhaka College student Tanzimul Abid told a press conference held instantly in front of Shikkha Bhaban.聽聽
On the day, a section of higher-secondary level students of Dhaka College and Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls鈥� College also staged a protest procession that gathered at Central Shaheed Minar, demanding the continuation of the higher-secondary programme at their institutions and also protection of the identities of their colleges.
On Sunday, several hundred higher-secondary level students of Dhaka College also staged a protest procession in the capital, pressing for the same demands.
The demonstrations of the higher-secondary level students and Monday鈥檚 alleged scuffle between the students and teachers at Dhaka College suggest a growing tension over the establishing of proposed Dhaka Central University.
On September 24, the Secondary and Higher Education Division under the Ministry of Education published the draft of the Dhaka Central University Ordinance, 2025 on its website, seeking feedback from stakeholders.
Seven government colleges鈥擠haka College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Girls鈥� College, Eden Mahila College, Government Bangla College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Government Titumir College and Kabi Nazrul Government College鈥攚ere brought under Dhaka University in 2017 before which they were under National University.
Following a widespread student movement over deprivation of facilities, the Dhaka University authorities on January 27 this year decided to cancel their affiliation with these colleges.
A section of teachers and students of the colleges, however, opposed the structure of proposed Dhaka Central University since the publication of the draft ordinance.
