Muktadesh Desk: Assistant teachers of primary schools across the country have demanded the resignation of the Home Affairs Advisor and Education Advisor if their three demands, including the 10th grade, are not met. They are observing a full-day strike in all government primary schools in the country from Sunday (November 9) morning.
Assistant teachers from different parts of the country have taken up positions in the central Shaheed Minar area of the capital as part of a series of programs. The teachers said that they will continue their sit-in program on the streets until their demands are met.
The main demand of the assistant teachers of primary schools is to increase the salary scale from the current 13th grade to 10th grade.
They have also expressed anger over the incident in which many teachers were injured when the police hurled sound grenades and teargas shells during the pen surrender program in Shahbagh on Saturday. The protesting teachers alleged that the police attack was an attempt to question the peaceful program.
Earlier on Saturday morning, assistant teachers of government primary schools at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital started a continuous sit-in program demanding the 10th grade directly to end their long-standing deprivation. When the teachers started their march from the Central Shaheed Minar in the afternoon, they faced police obstacles in front of Shahbagh Police Station and a clash broke out between the two sides. Teacher leaders claimed that more than a hundred teachers were injured in this.
At that time, the teachers said that as per the previously announced program, the primary teachers started a continuous sit-in program at the Central Shaheed Minar from the morning under the banner of four organizations called ‘Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council’. In the afternoon, they started a march towards Shahbagh to observe the ‘pen immersion program’.
The clash started when the teachers tried to break the police barricade and move forward. At one stage, the police used water cannons and sound grenades to disperse the teachers. More than a hundred teachers were injured in the incident. They are being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
In addition, several teacher leaders were taken into police custody. The teachers dispersed after being hit by sound grenades and took up positions in the Dhaka University area, where many fell ill.