Planned BNP blockade to affect 20 lakh Bangladeshi school children

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) planned three-day bockade from Monday is likely to affect around 20 lakh school children, who are all set to appear for their Junior Secondary Certificate and Junior Dakhil Certificate examinations.

According to the Daily Star, the BNP plans to intensify its street agitation in the coming weeks to realise its demand for a non-party election-time government.

About 30 lakh primary and ebtedai students may also be affected by the BNP-led protests, as their exams begin on November 20.

Officials say they have completed all preparations for the JSC and JDC tests, and said it will be difficult for them to reschedule the exams if the opposition keep enforcing hartals and blockades.

Exams in two subjects of the JSC and JDC are scheduled for Monday, the day the three-day possible blockade of roads, rail and waterways begins.

The exams of these class-VIII school and madrasa students under nine education boards are scheduled to end on November 20.

The BNP-led 18-party alliance's decision about the three-day blockade came on Tuesday night.

If the government ignores the opposition demand and the EC declares the election schedule, the opposition has said that it will go for non-stop agitation programmes, including hartal and blockade, to resist the polls.

Meanwhile, examinees, guardians and teachers have expressed deep frustration over the planned blockade and urged political parties to refrain from announcing such programmes during examinations.

They said that such disruptions affect the children psychologically.