It was the first test of the new government, and it came from the segment of society that felled the last partisan administration. Expressing anger over the decision to conduct HSC exams amidst rain and waterlogging, errors in the Physics question paper and the overall quality of the questions, the students held protests, road blockades and rallies throughout Dhaka, Chattogram, and other parts of the country on Tuesday (July 14). Around 9:45 pm on that first night, a group of students in Dhaka ended their protest after announcing a new programme. Regarding the new programme, the students said that if the next day's scheduled exams were not postponed, they would observe a 'Long March to the Education Ministry' starting at 3:00 pm.

The exam was not postponed, and according to their earlier announcement, a group of students blocked the Science Laboratory intersection on Wednesday around 2:30pm after the exam concluded. This halted vehicular movement on the road. They stayed there for a while before heading towards the Secretariat as part of the 'Long March to the Education Ministry' from the Science Laboratory intersection.

At around 4:00 pm, they reached Shikkha Bhaban, where they were stopped by police barricades. They then staged a sit-in at the site and continued chanting slogans demanding the Education Minister's resignation.

Protesters in front of Shikkha Bhaban said that the Education Minister had lost the qualification to remain in his post. They noted that there were errors in every question paper.

After nearly an hour and a half there, the students moved towards the Shahbagh intersection around 5:30 pm. Around 6:00 pm, the protesting students blocked the Shahbagh intersection. This resulted in the suspension of all vehicular movement through Shahbagh.

Slogans demanding the Education Minister's resignation were raised from this blockade at Shahbagh.

Meanwhile, around 1:30 pm, another group of students blockaded the road in front of the BNS Centre in Uttara. The blockade halted traffic on both sides, triggering massive gridlocks in the area. During the demonstration, the students chanted slogans for their three-point demand, which included the resignation of the Education Minister.

Milon sparks controversy

Amid the controversy over the decision to continue the examinations, a video of the minister speaking to an HSC candidate over the phone went viral on social media.

In the recording, the minister is heard saying of the students: "They're like farm chickens. If they get wet in a little rain, they come down with a fever." The video spread widely on Facebook on Monday night (July 13), triggering widespread outrage among HSC examinees.

Sources said the conversation took place between the minister and a female student from Dhaka City College. The student's guardian reportedly called the minister via WhatsApp and then handed the phone to the student. The conversation took place on Sunday night (July 12).

According to the sources, the guardian had requested the minister to speak with the student to reassure her. The conversation was recorded using another mobile phone, and the video was later circulated online.

During the conversation, the minister said: "Someone at the meeting said, 'My daughter gets a fever if she gets wet even a little.' I replied, 'They're like farm chickens. They get a fever from just a little rain.' I also said at the meeting that if they get wet one day and develop a fever, they won't be able to sit for the next three days' exams."

Milon also said: "I was in favour of postponing the examinations. But the deputy commissioners were consulted, and meteorologists were contacted. They informed us that there would be no rain on Monday and that the rainfall would end on Sunday night. Based on that, the decision was made to continue the examinations."

The student then responded: "But sir, many students have already developed fevers. We're from City College, and many of us are already sick because we got soaked in the rain. We got drenched on the day of the English Second Paper exam, and there was also heavy rain on the ICT exam day."

The minister replied: "We held a meeting until 5:00 pm. Everyone there said we were prepared, and the students were also prepared. No one agreed to postpone the examinations. I was the one who supported postponement more than anyone else. Anyway, go ahead and take your exams. I hope you'll do well."

The student also raised concerns about the examination schedule, saying: "Sir, there's only a one-day break before the Higher Mathematics Second Paper exam. There are so many chapters. Is it really possible to revise them all in one day? Especially for a subject like Physics Second Paper, which has 11 chapters?"

Responding to the concern, the minister said: "Let me tell you, the schedule was prepared after consulting all stakeholders. I also said that if the routine was not acceptable, I would change it. But no one gave me any feedback."

He added: "Initially, there was a proposal to finish the examinations quickly by holding morning and afternoon sessions, as we did during our student days. I said that wouldn't be possible because students would suffer. So we decided to keep at least a one-day gap between exams. That's exactly what's being followed now. I made these decisions after careful consideration."

The minister concluded: "There's no point discussing this anymore. We held meetings until 5:00 pm, and nobody except me supported postponing the exams. You're from City College, so don't worry. Ask someone to make you a hot cup of coffee, drink it, and get back to studying."

The phrase "farm chickens" also featured prominently in protest slogans, with demonstrators chanting: "Who are you? Who are we? Farm chickens," and "Who said it? The education minister".

Criticising the education minister, National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Organiser (South) and Cumilla-4 MP Hasnat Abdullah said the minister owed his position to the students who took to the streets during the July Uprising.

"You call them [students] 'farm chickens'. It is these so-called 'farm chickens' who took to the streets and made you the education minister," he said.

Hasnat made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at an NCP rally held in Sonargaon of Narayanganj.

He also accused the education minister of forcing HSC examinees to sit for their exams despite having to wade through knee-deep -- and in some places chest-deep -- floodwater to reach the centres.

"You included two flawed creative questions in the exam. Imagine the mental stress the students had to endure," he said, addressing the minister.

Saying students were not guinea pigs, the NCP leader urged the government to stop experimenting with the education system.

After daylong student protests in Dhaka and several other districts, the education minister apologised in parliament for his remarks about HSC examinees. He also said authorities were considering whether three tests, held on Monday despite heavy rain and waterlogging in Dhaka and elsewhere, can be held again.

Speaking in parliament, Milon said, "Many have objected to a personal remark of mine. I did not say anything deliberately targeting anyone. If anyone has been hurt, I sincerely apologise."

The minister said the government had reviewed complaints that heavy rain and waterlogging disrupted Monday's exams and prevented many candidates from sitting for the tests. He noted that tests under the Chattogram board had already been suspended because of flooding and would have to be held later using an alternative set of question papers.

"When the Chattogram board holds those tests with another set of question papers, arrangements can also be made for holding Monday's exams again," he added.

Defending the decision to continue the exams in parliament, Milon said around 2,700 exam centres were operating nationwide and the Meteorological Department had forecast no heavy rains.

Responding to independent MP Rumeen Farhana, who questioned why the exams were not postponed despite flooding, the minister said authorities had additional sets of question papers and could arrange fresh tests if reports from the districts confirmed irregularities or administrative failures.

Milon also acknowledged errors in questions six and seven of the Physics First Paper test and said candidates would receive full marks for both.

Meanwhile, the Sylhet Education Board issued show-cause notices to four teachers involved in reviewing the question paper, asking them to explain within three working days why departmental action should not be taken over what the board described as serious errors and professional negligence.

Damage control

Students who missed ongoing HSC and equivalent examinations due to adverse weather or other unavoidable circumstances will be allowed to sit for the missed subjects later, said Mahdi Amin, Education and Primary Education Adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The announcement comes amid widespread protests and road blockades by students in Dhaka and other districts over the past two days, demanding retakes and expressing frustration over the conduct of the exams during heavy rains.

In a Facebook post titled "5 Student-Friendly Initiatives for the Smooth Conduct of HSC and Equivalent Exams," Mahdi Amin, who also serves as a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, noted that exams were held peacefully on Wednesday at 2,583 centres nationwide, excluding the Chattogram Board.

He added that students participated with enthusiasm as weather conditions improved significantly.

He noted that the government had adopted five measures to address problems caused by adverse weather:

1) HSC and equivalent examinations have continued nationwide, except under the Chattogram Education Board as scheduled, following consultations with divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, police superintendents, education board chairpersons, Bangladesh Meteorological Department officials and other stakeholders, while prioritising the interests of the majority of candidates.

2) Local administrations have been instructed to take necessary measures where travel disruption or waterlogging creates difficulties, including changing examination centres, postponing examinations or extending examination time.

3) Students who missed any ongoing HSC or equivalent examination due to adverse weather or other unavoidable reasons will be allowed to sit for the corresponding postponed examination under the Chattogram Education Board using the same question paper on the date and time set by the Ministry of Education.

4) All candidates will receive full marks for the two erroneous questions in the Physics First Paper examination.

5) The individuals responsible for the errors in the Physics First Paper have been temporarily suspended.

In his post, Mahdi Amin said, for the Prime Minister the HSC examination is more than just a public examination, describing it as a crucial milestone in shaping the country's future workforce. He added that the government remained committed to conducting the examinations responsibly while ensuring students' welfare and the continuity of their education.

Vested interests hijack protests?

A platform of non-MPO teachers and employees backed Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, alleging that vested groups are trying to exploit the protests over Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations held during adverse weather.

In a statement, Sammilita Non-MPO Oikya Parishad alleged that "fascist and hegemonic forces" had instigated students to create unrest, but provided no evidence to support the allegation. The platform said Milon had been trying to rebuild a severely damaged education system despite various challenges.

"Mistakes may occur while working. He has acknowledged the unintended mistake, but the unrest has not stopped. We sense a conspiracy behind this," the statement said.

It said the minister had become a target of "hegemonic and reactionary forces" because of steps he had taken to reform the education system.

The organisation also criticised practices under the previous Awami League government, alleging that automatic passes, excessive marking and other examination irregularities had harmed education standards.

It said Milon had drawn opposition for taking action against cheating and seeking to ensure accountability among teachers.

"There is no alternative to the present education minister for putting Bangladesh's troubled education system back on track," the statement said.

The platform urged the government to protect students' interests while remaining alert to groups seeking to exploit the situation. It also called on HSC examinees to return to their studies.

The statement was signed by the platform's coordinators Mohammad Selim Mia, Mohammad Dabirul Islam, Nazmush Shahadat Azadi and Mohammad Monimul Haque.

Although the minister's remarks were surely in poor taste, the protesters perhaps overstepped the mark with their actions and demands over the course of the week. The protests also spurred the birth of a satirical, student led online movement known as the Broiler Chicken Party.

A Facebook page calling itself the Broiler Chicken Party has emerged amid student protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, following his alleged remark in which he referred to HSC candidates as "farm chickens".

The page has no formal organisational structure and exists only on Facebook.

However, some social media users have compared it with India's satirical "Cockroach Janata Party", which gained widespread attention earlier this year. Throughout the protests, the Broiler Chicken Party page shared updates, photos and videos of the protests.

Created shortly after midnight on Monday under Facebook's personal blog category, the page had around 1,500 followers by 5:30pm on Tuesday. By Thursday, it had upwards of 33,000 followers.

The events of the past week served as a good reminder that the government can afford no room for complacency, as it seeks to consolidate its own position as a democratically elected government in the post-July Uprising period.