Primary Teachers Strike Over 3 Demands, Leaving 1 Crore Students Out of Class
Primary school teachers have announced an indefinite work boycott (halting classes) across all government primary schools to press for a 10th-grade pay scale and two other demands, while protesting police action in Shahbagh. The strike begins today, Sunday, alongside a continued sit-in at Central Shaheed Minar.
The boycott has shut down classes in over 65,000 schools, affecting nearly one crore child students. Though students are attending, teachers are refusing to teach, forcing children to return home without lessons.
Convener of the Primary Assistant Teachers' Association Unity Council and Central President of the Primary School Assistant Teachers' Association, Shamsuddin Masud, said, "From tomorrow (Sunday), alongside the Shaheed Minar sit-in, a full-day work boycott will be observed in all primary schools nationwide to realize demands and protest the police attack."
He earlier claimed, "Police fired rubber bullets at teachers. Many are injured. Over 100 teachers were hurt by sound grenades and tear gas." He urged journalists to visit Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where several teachers are admitted, including one with a rubber bullet wound near the forehead.
The teachers' demands include upgrading assistant teachers to 10th grade, permanent resolution of promotion delays after 10 and 16 years of service, and 100% departmental advancement.
Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, Member-Secretary of the MPO-Enlisted Education Nationalization Aspirant Alliance and President of Bangladesh Madrasa Teachers-Employees Forum, called the demands "just" and urged immediate acceptance. In a statement today, he said, "Accept the justified demands of agitating primary teachers without delay. It is the government's responsibility to return teachers to classrooms. The alliance stands committed to supporting oppressed teachers from any sector."
He warned that if demands are unmet, the alliance—representing over six lakh teachers and staff—will join the primary teachers. "There can be no class division among nation-builders. If a teacher education commission had been formed as demanded, teachers from various sectors wouldn't be bloodied on streets today."
