Dhaka, Nov 25 (LatestNewsX) – A group of primary‑school teachers in Bangladesh launched a three‑day strike on Tuesday to press for changes to their pay structure and promotion procedures. They warned that if the government fails to meet the demands, they will boycott the upcoming annual exams and even embark on a hunger strike in December, according to local media.
The strike was organized by the ‘Primary Assistant Teacher Organisations’ Unity Council,’ a coalition that brings together 12 teachers’ unions, as reported by bdnews24. The council’s demands include a move to Grade 11 on the government pay scale for all new assistant teachers, a clear resolution of the confusing progression rules that apply after 10 and 16 years of service, and the guarantee of 100 % departmental promotion.
Shahinur Al Amin, the president of the Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers’ Society—a member of the coalition—said the group had given the government until 15 November to address the issues. The failure to act forced the decision to stop work.
Anisur Rahman, an assistant teacher at Suritola Model Government Primary School in Old Dhaka and a council president, added that a full work stoppage would continue today and tomorrow, followed by a sit‑in outside the Directorate of Primary Education on 27 November. “If there’s no clear progress or announcement about fulfilling our demands within this period, we will boycott the annual examination beginning on 1 December and start a hunger strike that could lead to death from the 11th,” he warned.
Earlier, on 9 November, government primary‑school teachers staged a second consecutive protest at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, calling attention to the same three demands.
Abul Kashem, president of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, said that the teachers, under the banner of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council, have also demanded the resignation of the advisers to the Ministries of Home Affairs and Primary and Mass Education. This call comes after police cracked down on their peaceful march titled “Kolom Shomarpon” this past Saturday, arresting five colleagues and injuring over a hundred. Kashem added that the adviser of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry dismissed their demands as irrational, prompting the call for the advisers’ resignation.
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