The teachers of public universities across the country observed their indefinite work abstention programme for the 16th day running on Tuesday, demanding the cancellation of the new universal pension scheme Prattay, terming it discriminatory.
On the day, however, those teachers who were part of the proctorial bodies were seen at work to oversee the law and order situation on the campuses amid the clashes between quota protesters and ruling Awami League鈥檚 student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League in different public universities.
The public university teachers are continuing their work abstention programme pressing for three demands, including inclusion of public university teachers in the super grade under which senior secretaries are paid, and setting up of an independent pay structure for public university teachers, are met.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Associations enforced a boycott of classes and examinations from July 1, the day when the pension scheme came into effect.
The general staff of the universities also joined the strike, halting the administrative activities.
Among the 55 public universities in the country, 35 are represented by the teachers鈥� federation as these have vice-chancellors and other key officials and have ongoing academic activities, the federation leaders said.
Federation president professor Md Akhtarul Islam on Tuesday said that the teachers were fulfilling their duties in the current turbulent situation, but they did not quit their strike.
抖阴精品 correspondents in Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi, Kushtia and Chattogram reported that teachers, officers and other staff of these two universities and also in Rajshahi University, the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Islamic University in Kushtia, Chittagong University, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University continued the work abstention programme, shutting down all academic activities, including classes and examinations, as well as administrative work, while the proctorial bodies only were seen at work.
Academic activities and administrative work was also seen at a halt at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University some administrative work was seen ongoing.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Jahangirnagar University reported that the JU teachers鈥� association on Tuesday held a black-flag procession protesting at a recent remark of the prime minister.
Referring to the protesting teachers, Sheikh Hasina at a press conference on July 14 said, 鈥榣et them grow tired, I will say something then.鈥�
On July 13, ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader at a meeting urged the teachers to call off their strike, assuring them of considering their demands later, and also added that the teachers would come under the pension scheme from July 2025.
A gazette notification issued on March 14, however, made it mandatory for all officials and employees who would join state-owned autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies from July 1, 2024 onwards to get included in the new pension instrument.
The teachers said that their prime demand was to keep the teachers out of the purview of the scheme and not to defer the inclusion process.
