Primary teachers stage sit-in, demand resignation of two advisers
Government primary school teachers have launched a continuous sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar and are observing a full-day work abstention across the country, following police baton charges on their demonstrations in Dhaka.
The Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council has demanded the resignation of the Home Affairs Adviser and the Primary and Mass Education Adviser for the police attack on teachers at Shahbagh instead of addressing their three-point demand. The demand was made in a press release signed by teacher leader Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud on Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon, police dispersed a rally of primary teachers at Shahbagh using batons, tear gas, water cannons, and sound grenades, injuring more than a hundred teachers.
Teachers alleged that the attack was unprovoked, while police claimed that they intervened after the protesters tried to march toward the chief adviser’s residence, Jamuna.
Following Saturday’s clash, the protesting teachers announced new programmes, beginning with a continuous sit-in at the Shaheed Minar from Sunday alongside a nationwide full-day work abstention.
There are currently 65,567 government primary schools across the country, enrolling over 10.6 million students and employing 383,624 teachers, including about 350,000 assistant teachers.
Assistant teachers currently fall under the 13th grade of the national pay scale. Their main demand is upgrading their pay to the 10th grade. Earlier, they had demanded the 11th grade but later revised it upward. Their other two demands are 100 per cent departmental promotion and higher-grade benefits after 10 and 16 years of service.