Staff Reporter:
Agitating government primary school teachers continued their protests for the second consecutive day on Sunday at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital, reiterating their three-point demand.
Teachers under the banner of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council also called for the resignation of the Advisers to the Ministries of Home Affairs, and Primary and Mass Education, in pro-test against Saturday’s police action on their demonstration, said Abul Kashem, president of the Bangla-desh Primary Teachers’ Association.
A daylong work abstention is being observed at primary schools across the country in protest against the attack by law enforcers, Kashem said.
“Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Shahbagh for a peaceful march titled ‘Kolom Shomarpon’ (pen sub-mission),” he said.
“Police attacked us there, arresting five of our colleagues and injuring more than a hundred. Moreover, the Adviser to the Primary and Mass Education Ministry termed our demands irrational. We therefore demand the resignation of both advisers,” Kashem added.
He warned that the teachers would continue their sit-in and work abstention programmes simultaneously until their demands are met.
Their demands are upgrading assistant teachers to the 10th grade pay scale, removing complexities in obtaining higher grades after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring 100 percent departmental promo-tion.
