Dhaka: Primary school teachers in Bangladesh started a three-day work stoppage on Tuesday to raise their demands regarding pay grades and promotion. They warned to boycott annual examination and start hunger strike in December if their is no announcement regarding fulfilment of demands, local media reported.
The primary school assistant teachers began protest on Tuesday under the banner of the ‘Primary Assistant Teacher Organisations’ Unity Council’, a coalition of 12 teacher groups, Bangladeshi media outlet bdnews24 reported.
The council demanded Grade 11 of the government pay scale for entry-level assistant teachers, the resolution of complexities related to higher grades after 10 and 16 years of service and ensuring 100 per cent departmental promotion.
Shahinur Al Amin, president of Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers’ Society, one of the coalition’s member groups, said that they had given the government time until November 15 to resolve their demands. However, the failure of the government to implement demands has resulted in work stoppage.
Anisur Rahman, an assistant teacher at Suritola Model Government Primary School in Old Dhaka and president of the coalition’s Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers’ Society, said that a complete work stoppage would be observed today and tomorrow, followed by a sit-in programme outside the Directorate of Primary Education on November 27.
He further said, “If there is no visible progress or announcement over the fulfilment of the demands within this period, we will boycott the annual examination starting on the 1st of December and begin a hunger strike unto death from the 11th.”
On November 9, Government primary school teachers held protests for the second consecutive day at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka to raise their three demands, local media reported.
The Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association President Abul Kashem said that the teachers under the banner of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council had raised a demand for the resignation of the Advisers to the Ministries of Home Affairs and Primary and Mass Education, in protest over police action against their demonstration on November 8, the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
Kashem stated that teachers were observing work absention at primary schools in Bangladesh to protest against police action. He had said, “Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Shahbagh for a peaceful march titled ‘Kolom Shomarpon’ (pen submission).”
“Police attacked us there, arresting five of our colleagues and injuring more than a hundred. Moreover, the Adviser to the Primary and Mass Education Ministry termed our demands irrational. We therefore demand the resignation of both advisers,” he added.
(IANS)
