Bangladesh: Back to school after weeks of protests

The first thing students at a Dhaka school who returned to class after After weeks of student protests, the main event was to pay tribute to their comrade, a young man killed in the crackdown on the protest movement.

Shafiq Uddin Ahmed Ahnaf, 17, was on the front lines of the protests in August when he was killed by balls.

Although political uncertainty has gripped the country since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ousted after 15 years in power, fled to India on August 5, the reopening of schools on Sunday marked a return to normal after weeks of unrest and deadly violence.

Most of those killed, including by police gunfire, were students like Ahnaf.

A schoolgirl answers her teacher's questions after weeks of protests in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 18, 2024 © AFP – LUIS TATO

On Sunday, the first day classes resumed since the protests, classmates of the young man killed honored his memory by placing a bouquet at the place he occupied, Dhaka media reported.

Mazeda Begum, principal of another government school in Dhaka, noted that students were eager to return to class after “experiencing lasting trauma for a month”.

The principal plans to set up a cultural program so that they “can regain their mental strength”.

– “Proud of the courage” of the demonstrators –

Her colleague, Riah Hyder, an English teacher, canceled her vacation to be at his position when classes resume.

“The most important thing for us is that the students are back in school,” she said.

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Many students said they were inspired by the “courage” of the protesters.

“I am proud of them because they had the courage to protest against bad practices” in governance, said Mahiba Hossain Rahee, 16.

Schoolgirls gather for the first time in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 18, 2024, after weeks of protests © AFP – LUIS TATO

The young girl, in a blue uniform and her hair neatly braided, told AFP that she had “spent sleepless nights thinking about the people” of her country during the protests.

“They were really hard days,” she added, saying she hoped her country would change for the better.

“We don't want any more bloodshed. We want a happy nation,” she stressed.

– “A newborn country” –

Naifa Tahin, 16, who spent weeks cooped up in her Dhaka home, says going back to school was like “coming home” for her.

The young girl said she was delighted to return to school, see her friends again, hoping for a new beginning for her country.

“In the last few weeks, we have not been able to return to school, attend classes or see our classmates,” she added, admitting that during this period, she was plagued by nervousness.

Schoolgirls meet for the first time at Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 18, 2024, after weeks of protests © AFP – LUIS TATO

“Finally being back… it's great,” she adds. “I feel like I'm back home.”

Now, she says, we have to be patient. “Our country is taking its first steps, like a newborn baby.”

The head of the interim government, economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, has returned to Bangladesh from Europe to tackle the immense task of carrying out democratic reforms in a country whose institutions have deteriorated.

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