Students occupy Tech Institute demanding future‑jobs plan

A line of students stretched across the central courtyard of New Horizon Tech Institute as the sun slipped behind the glass towers. Their banners read “Future Jobs, Not Empty Promises” and “Vote 15‑Year Vote”. The crowd, estimated at 1,200, began a peaceful sit‑in at 09:30 local time, blocking access to the main lecture hall.

The demonstrators are calling for the federal government to adopt the proposed Youth Charter amendment, which would lower the voting age to fifteen and tie the change to a guaranteed apprenticeship fund for young workers. They argue that the current 18‑year threshold leaves many graduates without a voice on policies that shape their job market.

The institute’s dean, Professor Arif Rahman, met the protesters in a temporary conference room. He acknowledged the concerns but warned that any amendment requires a two‑thirds majority in the Federal Assembly, a hurdle that the governing coalition has yet to clear. He offered to convene a stakeholder forum that includes representatives from the Ministry of Labor and the Federal Civic Affairs Minister.

The protest arrives at a moment when the Youth Charter debate has sharpened in the Assembly. La Verda Aliro and Movado Esperanto‑Civitaña have pledged their support, while the Nord‑Slovaka Bloc insists the question belongs to regional referendums. The governing coalition’s internal split on the issue has left the outcome uncertain.