Students and guardians from the Dhanmondi branch of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College have launched protests demanding a permanent campus at the location amid rumoured plans to close down the institution.
The demonstration started at the Dhanmondi-8 branch of the school on Monday and the protesters then marched to Anwar Khan Modern Medical College Hospital before blocking Mirpur Road, disrupting traffic in the area, reports bdnews24.com.
A guardian of a student at the Dhanmondi branch said they had been pushing against the closure of the school for some time.
“That’s where my child goes to school,” they said. “But there is now an attempt to close it. Why should it be closed? We have taken to the streets today to demand an end to this disgraceful attempt to close the school.”
Another guardian said, “They say the branch is in disrepair and they are suffering losses of Tk 1.8-2 million on it every month. It has few students. We’ve heard that’s why they plan to shut it down. We have been told to transfer our children to the other branches. But the school has not officially informed us of this.”
“Why do they need to shut down such a storied branch? If there are issues, they should be resolved. But instead of trying to find solutions, they are just closing it.”
Ikramul Ali, chief of Dhanmondi Police Station, said that guardians were blocking Mirpur Road after hearing reports that the Dhanmondi branch of the school was to be closed.
“They say they will not move without a definite response from the school administration. We are discussing the issue with them.”
The Traffic Control Room reports that the protest is holding up traffic on the major Dhaka thoroughfare.
Attempts were made to contact Viqarunnisa Principal Kamrun Nahar for comment, but she could not be reached.
The Viqarunnisa School and College Dhanmondi branch was established in 1995. At the moment, some 1,800 students study there from classes one to ten.
Guardians have been protesting the branch's closure for several days. They have also written letters to the education minister on the matter and distributed leaflets in front of the school.
A teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they could not speak about the matter because there had not been any 'official' announcements.