A section of Sylhet people, under the banner of Sachetan Sylhetbasi, on Thursday announced a general strike for December 19 in the city if the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology authorities would not scrap its joint intake test move. The authorities have taken an initiative to hold the admission tests simultaneously at SUST and Jessore Science and Technology University with the same question.
The forum leaders also demanded immediate step to hold the SUST intake test the way it was taken previously.
They warned that a tougher movement including non-stop student strike on the SUST campus would be declared from a rally to be held on December 19 if their demand was not met by December 15.
They made the announcement during a mass sit-in between 11:00am and 1:00pm in front of the university main entrance, sources in the organisation said.
The forum spokesperson lieutenant colonel (retired) Ali Ahmad, SUST mathematics professor Golam Ali Haydar, business administration associate professor Mosaddeq Hossain Chowdhury, forum convener Rezaul Hasan Kayes Ludi, Sylhet City Corporation councillor Taufiq Hadi, sadar upazila vice-chairman Abul Kashem and local union council chairman Abdus Shahid, among others, addressed the rally, with academician Ataur Rahman Pir in the chair.
The forum leaders and activists from the morning started to gather along the Sylhet-Sunamganj Road in front of the university main entrance and held a sit-in from 11:00am as per previously declared schedule, sources in the forum said.
On December 1, they had announced that they would enforce a blockade in Sylhet day before the SUST admission test and a general strike on the day of taking the test if the authorities ignored their demands.
The authorities of SUST and JSTU this year signed an agreement to hold the admission tests jointly for both the universities on November 30 with a same question paper.
According to the agreement, the candidates who would come out successful in the tests will have the option to choose any of the two universities to be enrolled.
But SUST administration was forced to cancel the joint admission test process on November 28 following repeated protest by a section of students and their guardians, academics, and politicians in Sylhet.
Later on November 29, the administration announced that they would continue with the joint test in the face of pressure by a group of the university teachers and students.
The authorities, however, postponed the tests for an indefinite period.
-With New Age input
