Teachers and staff from MPO-listed educational institutions have begun a long march toward the Secretariat after staging a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, demanding the issuance of a government gazette to meet their three-point demands. The march started around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Although the long march was initially scheduled to begin at noon, it was postponed until the afternoon following a request from Hasnat Abdullah, chief organizer for the southern region of the National Citizens Party (NCP).
At 4:00 p.m., Delawar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the alliance demanding the nationalization of MPO-listed institutions, announced that they had given the administration until the deadline to issue the gazette. As it was not published, they would now proceed with their long march toward the Secretariat.
Following his announcement, the demonstrating teachers and employees began their march from the Shaheed Minar toward the Secretariat via Doel Chattar.
Bangladesh Khilafat Majlish extended solidarity with the teachers’ movement. The party’s Secretary General, Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad, said, “Teachers have not made unreasonable demands. We believe all political parties and citizens support their three-point demand.” He urged the government to meet the teachers’ demands and issue the gazette by today.
The teachers have been protesting since Sunday morning, demanding a 20% house rent allowance based on their basic salary and two other reforms. They initially began a blockade in front of the National Press Club, but after being dispersed by police in the afternoon, they moved their protest to the Central Shaheed Minar.
