The secondary-level teachers of schools under the monthly pay order system on Saturday demanded nationalisation of their jobs for an end to discrimination between government and non-government teachers.
They also strongly protested at recent attacks and harassment of teachers across the country as well as forcing the teachers to resign.
Under the banner of the Bangladesh Teachers鈥� Association the teachers on the day held a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital to uphold their 11-point demand, said a press release issued by the association.
The demands include introduction of an updated, modern and scientific curriculum, full festival, house rent and medical allowances, a salary structure, a pension system, and the age limit of 65 years in jobs for non-government teachers and employees like the government teachers, cancellation of the transfer system for the teachers under the MPO, formation of teachers鈥� appointment commission, implementation of National Education Policy 2010, abolishing the governing body system educational institutions, operating the educational institutions as government ones, and bringing of all recognised educational institutions under the MPO system.聽聽
At the Saturday press conference, the association leaders said that in recent times a vested quarter was trying to secure its own interest by forcing head teachers and the principals to resign from their posts by using the students.
They urged the government to cancel all the forced resignation letters and issue a circular in this regard.
For the people killed during the student-led mass uprising, they also arranged a prayer session.
The association leaders said that they got only 25 per cent of the basic allowance as festival allowance, Tk 1,000 as house rent, Tk 500 as treatment allowance, and no pension.
At the entry level, an assistant teacher gets Tk 12,500 gross salary.
On the other hand, at government schools, an entry-level teacher gets Tk 16,000 as basic salary, Tk 1,500 as the treatment allowance, 100 per cent of the basic salary as the festival allowance, and 45 per cent of basic as house rent, the leaders said.
Among others, the Saturday conference was attended by the association president Md Bazlur Rahman, general secretary Mohammad Kawser Ali Sheikh, one of the advisers and Dhaka University senate member Ranjit Kumar Saha.
Earlier, the teachers under the association staged a sit-in in front of the National Press Club for 22 consecutive days in 2023 between July 11 and August 1 and went for a countrywide strike for 17 consecutive days in 2023 between July 16 and August 1, demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
On July 18, 2023 the government announced a 5 per cent of the basic salary as incentive for the teachers and employees under the MPO, effective from July 1, 2023.
