The Pulse | Politics | South Asia

Why Gen Z Is Back on the Streets in Bangladesh

A controversy centered on Bangladesh’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam brought students back out to protest.

The historic mass uprising of July-August 2024 brought an unprecedented political change to Bangladesh. The youth, known as Generation Z, played the most crucial role in this transformation. Following the fall of the autocratic regime, these young people expected their aspirations to be fulfilled. Nearly two years have passed, and a gap remains between their expectations and the reality. 

Following the interim government formed after the uprising, an elected government is now in power, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Less than five months after this government took office, Gen Z is back on the streets in Dhaka and other parts of the country. This time, they are demanding reforms to Bangladesh’s education system. 

The controversy began with the weather. Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams began on July 2; around 1.3 million students are participating in the exam, which is the gateway to university admissions in Bangladesh. But by the second week of July, very heavy rainfall across the country created an extreme disaster situation. In particular, a flood situation developed in the Chittagong region, and waterlogging occurred in cities like Dhaka and Chittagong. 

Considering the severity of the floods, the Ministry of Education logically postponed the exams in five districts under the Chittagong Education Board. However, the decision was made to continue examinations in other education boards, and that sparked anger among the students. While the flooding was worst in Chittagong, the weather was also hostile in other places, including Comilla. Examinees had to reach their centers by wading through knee-deep water, getting drenched, and facing storms and rain. Many students were forced to take exams while sick or without proper preparation and peace of mind. In such a disastrous situation, it is natural for anger to brew among students and their parents.

Education Minister A. N. M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon’s comments added fuel to the fire of the students’ anger. Audio of the education minister’s phone conversation with the parent of a female examinee spread on social media. In that clip, Milon was heard apparently saying, “In a meeting, someone was saying that if my daughter gets a little wet, she gets a fever. I said that these are farm chickens. If they get a little wet, they get a fever.” The students erupted in anger over the phrase “farm chickens.” 

According to media reports, students took to the streets in at least 13 districts, including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Comilla, blocking roads, surrounding education boards, and holding protest rallies. Students took to the streets chanting sarcastic slogans like “Who are you? Who are we? Farm chicken!” They blocked crucial intersections in the capital city, Dhaka. 

Students complained that many of them had caught a fever after getting wet in the monsoon rain, and on top of that, the lack of adequate gaps in the exam schedule was creating mental pressure. They demanded Milon’s resignation.

On July 14, scenes of police charging students with batons to remove them from the street in front........

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