Following the violent protests that resulted in the deaths of six students and the subsequent mobilization of paramilitaries to maintain law and order, Bangladesh ordered on Tuesday that schools throughout the nation be closed indefinitely.
After weeks of growing protests against the civil service’s hiring practices, all high schools, Islamic seminaries, and vocational education centers across the nation were ordered to stay closed until further notice.
The violence on Tuesday significantly increased as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protests and as pro-government student organizations attacked each other with bamboo rods and thrown bricks. A spokesperson for the ministry of education, M. A. Khair, told AFP that “the security of the students” was the reason behind the shutdown order.
Since the education ministry typically lacks the authority to demand the closure of universities, the order does not apply to Bangladesh’s universities, where most students involved in the protests are enrolled.
In defiance of earlier orders from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Supreme Court to resume classes, protesters in cities across the nation mobilised for a second day on Tuesday, which resulted in at least six fatalities.
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