Primary teachers threaten to go on complete shutdown

After continuous work abstention and boycott of annual exams, assistant teachers of government primary schools have threatened to go on a complete shutdown this time to realize their three-point demands.

They will observe this programme from Wednesday (December 3). At the same time, the teachers will stage a sit-in programme in front of the Upazila or Thana Primary Education Officer (ATEO) office.

Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, one of the conveners of the Primary Teachers' Demand Implementation Council, confirmed this information to the media on Tuesday.

Shamsuddin Masud said: "Our teachers across the country are on a work abstention. Many have been and are being harassed while organizing programmes to realize their demands. For this reason, we are going to announce a complete shutdown of schools. This announcement will be made officially by holding a virtual meeting at 7pm."

According to sources from the Department of Primary Education, there are currently 65,569 government primary schools across the country. More than 384,000 teachers are working in these schools. Most of them are assistant teachers.

Primary school principals have currently been promoted to the 10th grade. However, assistant teachers are getting salaries and allowances at the 13th grade. They have been agitating for a long time demanding grade promotion.

Teachers held a sit-in programme at the Central Shaheed Minar from November 8-11. During this programme, more than 150 teachers were injured in a police attack. After that, the teachers returned to classes with the assurance of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Ministry of Finance. However, since there was no progress in implementing that promise, they started the strike again on November 27.

The demands of the assistant teachers are - salary determination in the 10th grade, solving the problem of higher grades on completion of 10 years and 16 years, and 100% departmental promotion. However, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has directly refused to provide the 10th grade and has recommended the 11th grade for now. Teachers have also been demanding the implementation of that promise (of providing the 11th grade).