Nursing students gathering from across the country in Dhaka city on Wednesday blocked the Shahbagh crossing for nearly six hours, demanding recognition of the diplomas in nursing and midwifery as equivalent to bachelor鈥檚 degree.
The blockade of one of the most vital thoroughfares of the city starting from the afternoon led to hours-long traffic gridlock, causing commuters and transports workers terrible suffering.聽
Pressing for their one point-demand, protesters blocked the crossing till about 8:00pm until a police baton charge dispersed them.
The students later took position in front of the Central Shaheed Minar, said Mehedi Murad one of the organisers. They were still demonstrating there when this report was filed at about 9:30pm.
Under the banner of 鈥楧iploma in Nursing and Midwifery Degree Implementation Committee鈥�, the nursing students at different places in the country including Dhaka, Rajshahi and Barishal have been protesting for the past few days to press home their demand.
Alleging that diploma holding nurses were discriminated against both in getting jobs and administration, they started their protest on Wednesday morning with a rally held in front of the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council in city.
At the rally, they gave the authorities an one-hour deadline to recognise the existing three-year post-Higher Secondary Certificate Diploma in Nursing Science and Midwifery and Diploma in Midwifery as equivalent to bachelor鈥檚 degree.
As the government did not respond, students from different nursing institutions converged to the Shahbagh crossing and started the blockade at around 2:00pm, leading to choking traffic congestion that spilled into the other roads and alleys.
Shahbagh police officer-in-charge Khalid Mansur said that 700鈥�800 students blocked the crossing at around 2:00pm.
鈥榃e repeatedly requested them to leave the area but they did not heed,鈥� he said and added that till 8:00pm the blockade ran.聽
Akash Mia, a protesting student, said that they were observing a peaceful programme.
鈥榃e gave the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council an hour to meet our demand but they did not respond,鈥� he said, stressing, 鈥榃e will not leave until our demand is met.鈥�
Tambir Ahmed Masum, an organiser of the protest, said that a certificate equivalent to bachelor鈥檚 degree would ease their way to apply for jobs.聽
Since their degree was equivalent to diploma, their job opportunities were very limited causing them to remain deprived of employment, they said.
The protesters were seen continuing the blockade during the afternoon downpour.
Massive traffic congestion spilled into Shhabagh, Banglamotor, Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Kakrail, Nilkhet, New Market, Science Lab and Hatirpool areas the whole day.
The authorities of Rajshahi Nursing College, meanwhile on the day, closed the college for an indefinite period, after the students of Bachelor of Science in nursing clashed with those studying diploma in nursing on the campus on Tuesday.