Education Cadre Officers Stage Sit-in at DSHE Demanding Promotions

Officers from the 36th, 37th and 38th Bangladesh Civil Service (General Education) batches who have been denied promotions have begun a sit-in at the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), demanding the immediate issuance of government orders (GOs) for their promotions.

The programme began at 10am on Sunday, October 25, on the DSHE premises. The officers have announced that they will continue the sit-in until the promotion orders are issued.

The officers said they had been deprived of promotions for nearly nine years, while officials from other cadres who joined service during the same period received promotions in 2023. They said prolonged administrative discrimination, delays and career stagnation had left them with no choice but to stage the protest.

According to the officers, the current government has taken various initiatives to improve the quality of education, expand access to higher education and make teaching a more attractive profession. They said the government's positive approach was also reflected in its treatment of primary school and MPO-listed institution teachers. However, a large number of education cadre officers, who play an important role in improving the quality of college-level education, have remained deprived of promotions for years.

They said the prolonged delay had caused frustration in both their personal and professional lives, adding that the celebrations of Eid, Durga Puja and Teachers' Day had also been overshadowed by their continued lack of promotion.

The officers fear that implementation of the government's proposed new pay scale could leave education cadre officials who have been denied promotions facing a monthly financial disadvantage of around Tk 30,000 compared with officers from other cadres who joined service in the same batch.

They warned that the additional financial disparity, combined with years of stalled promotions, would further undermine their professional status, financial rights and motivation.

The officers questioned why they should remain stuck in their current positions for years despite meeting the requirements for promotion in terms of qualifications and seniority. They also asked why government orders had not been issued even after meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) were completed, and why repeated applications, memoranda and protests had failed to secure promotions.

They said their intention was not to embarrass the government. However, with the longstanding grievances unresolved through normal administrative procedures, they said protest had become their only remaining option. They stressed that the sit-in was not a request for favour but a demand for their legitimate rights.

DPC meetings to consider promotions for eligible officers were held on September 16, 17 and 21, 2026. However, no government orders have been issued following the meetings. The prolonged wait has left the officers frustrated, angry and uncertain about their professional future.

They also pointed out that newly recruited officers from the 49th BCS, who are 13 batches junior to them, are joining service in the same lecturer positions. They said the situation, in which senior and junior officers remain in the same post for years, has caused social, financial and psychological distress.

The officers further said that on October 13, at an induction programme for newly recruited 49th BCS officers in Bogura, Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon instructed officials to note down their promotion-related demands and place them on file.

The initiative, reported by national newspapers, had raised hopes among officers awaiting promotion. However, they said the lack of visible progress before Durga Puja had left them disappointed.

The officers said a proposal to create supernumerary posts had also been submitted on January 4, 2026, to facilitate promotions. They alleged that while other cadres had examples of regular promotions, promotions across multiple grades and the creation of supernumerary posts, delays and disparities continued to affect the education cadre.

They have vowed to continue their sit-in on the DSHE premises until the government issues the promotion orders.

Three-point demand

The officers have placed three demands:

1. Immediately issue government orders promoting eligible officers in accordance with the DPC meetings held on September 16, 17 and 21, 2026.

2. Ensure promotions, including financial benefits, for all eligible officers based on applicable rules, qualifications and seniority, and establish a regular, transparent and time-bound promotion system.

3. Create the necessary supernumerary posts to resolve the promotion backlog and take steps to upgrade the professor post in the education cadre to Grade 3, following a similar arrangement in the health cadre.