Primary teachers defy govt appeal, keep schools locked down Thursday

Government primary school assistant teachers have decided to continue their ongoing “complete shutdown” programme, keeping all schools locked on Thursday, after rejecting the government’s call to resume academic activities.

The decision was announced Wednesday night following a joint virtual meeting of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council and the Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers' Association Unity Council.

The organisations stated that despite the Finance Ministry’s press release on November 10 promising to address their pay-scale demands, no visible progress has been made in the 22 days since. As a result, the ongoing boycott of exams and the closure of schools will continue until their three-point charter of demands is met.

They also expressed concern over the issuance of show-cause notices against teachers from the 2023 and 2025 batches, terming it “worrying” and “provocative.”

The teachers’ three key demands are:
– Issuance of a gazette implementing the Finance Ministry’s commitment to upgrade the assistant teachers to 11th grade as an interim step toward the 10th grade pay scale;
– Resolution of complexities regarding higher grade benefits after 10 and 16 years of service;
– Ensuring 100% departmental promotion from assistant teacher to head teacher.

The organisations reaffirmed that the shutdown will continue until an official gazette is issued fulfilling their demands.