Starting Monday, government primary school assistant teachers across the country will begin a full-day work abstention to press for three key demands, including setting their initial salary at the 11th grade.
The Primary Assistant Teachers’ Unity Council has announced that the protest will continue until their demands are met.
Today, Sunday, marks the end of their previously observed half-day work abstention.
As the government has not addressed their demands, the teachers will proceed with full-day abstention as previously declared, according to a press release signed by Mohammad Shamsuddin, convener of the Unity Council and president of the Bangladesh Government Primary School Assistant Teachers` Association.
Earlier, the teachers had staged phased protests: from May 5 to 15, they abstained from work for one hour each day, then for two hours from May 16 to 20, followed by half-day abstentions from May 21 to May 25.
The three demands of the protesting teachers are:
Implementation of the 11th pay grade for assistant teachers based on a rational revision of the recommendations from the advisory committee for improving primary and non-formal education.
Resolution of complications in receiving higher pay grades after 10 and 16 years of service.
Promotion of assistant teachers to head teacher positions through 100% internal promotion and ensuring speedy promotion processes.
In response, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has proposed upgrading the pay scale for government primary school teachers. Under this proposal, assistant teachers would begin at the 12th grade and head teachers would receive the 10th grade.
This proposal, based on recommendations by a committee led by BRAC University’s Emeritus Professor Manzoor Ahmed and relevant court rulings, has been rejected by the protesting teachers. They insist that the entry-level pay for assistant teachers must be fixed at the 11th grade, not the 12th.
