Teachers from government primary schools across the country staged a protest on Friday at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, demanding the implementation of the 10th grade salary scale for assistant teachers.
The demonstration began at 10:00am, with teachers arriving in large numbers. They contended that their current classification as third-class employees was unjust and demeaning to the teaching profession.
As the day progressed, the protesting teachers issued an ultimatum to the government, warning that they would escalate their movement if their demands were not addressed by 2:00pm. They marched towards Shahbag at about 3:30pm, where they encountered a police barricade near the Shahbag police station. Undeterred, they continued their protest at the barricade.
鈥榃e are paid as third-class employees, which we cannot accept as teachers. The 10th grade is our life鈥檚 demand,鈥� one of the protesters declared during the demonstration.
Farhad Hossain, a teacher from Baruihati Government Primary School in Sunamganj, echoed the sentiments, saying, 鈥榃e are part of the teaching community; why should we be in the third class? It is not possible to build a country by keeping teachers in the third class.鈥�
As of the time of reporting, no official response has been made by government representatives regarding the teachers鈥� demands. The situation at Shahbag remains tense, with teachers vowing to continue their movement until their voices are heard.
