Primary teachers to continue protest despite ministry warning
Assistant primary school teachers have declared they will carry on their ongoing protest programmes, including the nationwide “complete shutdown” of government primary schools, defying the Primary and Mass Education Ministry’s order to withdraw the work abstention and examination boycott.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday (3 December), the Primary Teachers Demand Implementation Council and Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers United Council announced that the “lock-up” programme that began across all government primary schools on Wednesday will continue until their demands are fulfilled.
The teachers voiced serious concern over show-cause notices served by district primary education officers to four conveners of the Demand Implementation Council as well as to teachers of the 2023 and 2025 batches, acting on instructions from the Directorate of Primary Education. They demanded immediate withdrawal of these notices.
The three-point demands remain:
- Issuance of a gazette notification granting the 11th-grade pay scale (as an interim step) in line with the Finance Ministry’s press release dated 10 November 2025, leading to the eventual 10th grade.
- Removal of all complications regarding higher grade entitlement after 10 and 16 years of service.
- 100% departmental promotion from assistant teacher to head teacher posts.
The statement pointed out that 22 days have elapsed since the Finance Ministry’s commitment, yet no tangible progress has been made.
The teachers warned that the movement will be intensified if their demands are not met promptly and punitive measures against their leaders are not revoked.
