CHT students boycott classes

Khagrachharhi, July 14 (bdnews24.com) ? Demanding that they be recognised as indigenous, students boycotted their classes in all educational institutions in the three hill districts on Thursday.

Brihattara Parbatya Chattagram Pahari Chhatra Parishad (BPCPCP) called the strike on Thursday.

The students also demanded that the 15th amendment to the constitution be scraped.

According to the 15th amendment to the constitution passed on June 30, every citizen of Bangladesh is a 'Bengalee', instead of being recognised as 'indigenous' or 'Adivasi'.

"Bangladesh is a country of diversified sects and communities, and languages. But the government has imposed the Bengalee nationality over the indigenous people by hurriedly passing the amendment bill," BPCPCP central president Ongyo Marma said in a statement.

It says the people of the country, who speak different languages, do not want to be recognised as Bengalees.

The amendment recognises the hill people as 'tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities', which the indigenous leaders and dignitaries of the country find humiliating and insulting.

bdnews24.com/corr/rrd/kms/trb/pks/sam/2335h

View the original article here

Read more...

Schools, colleges mourn 43 Ctg students

Dhaka, July 13 (bdnews24.com)?Schools and colleges throughout the country are mourning the 43 school students who were killed in a road accident in Mirsarai, Chittagong on Monday.

Students and teachers wore black badges, while special prayers were also being recited for the departed on Wednesday.

Black flags were also hoisted at schools and colleges across the country.

Holy Cross School and College principal Sister Shikha Gomez told bndews24.com that they had recited from different religious books around 10:30am.

"In addition to the national flag, a black flag was also hoisted at the institution. Students and teachers took part in the prayers wearing black badges. We also observed a one-minute silence," she added.

Assistant headmaster (morning section) of Motijheel Ideal School and College Mohammad Abu Zafar told bdnews24.com that everyone at the school observed one minute's of silence as a mark of respect at 6:45am.

The silence was followed by special prayers. Everyone wore black badges and a black flag was also hoisted, he added.

Similar programmes were undertaken by many other institutions, including Notre Dame College, Government Laboratory School and College, Dhaka Commerce College, BAF Shaheen College and Tejgaon College.

Institutions that began its activities during the day shift would observe the programmes in the afternoon.

The education ministry, in an order on Tuesday, asked institutions to observe the day to commemorate the deaths, caused after a mini-truck that was carrying the students back from a football match crashed and toppled into a roadside pond.

The truck had skidded off the muddy road after crossing a bridge, when the driver lost control of the vehicle, at the connecting road between Bara Takia and Abu Torab Bazaar, only one and a half kilometres away from Abu Toarb High School.

The headmaster of the school Zafar Sadek told bdnews24.com on Tuesday that as many as 35 of the students were of that school.

bdnews24.com/si/pks/tk/bd/1408h

View the original article here

Read more...