A section of teachers of non-government schools for the children with disabilities, including autism spectrum, from across the country continued their sit-in programme in the capital for the 9th day running on Monday demanding Monthly Payment Order facilities.
Complaining that they were not getting any salaries, they vowed to continue their movement until their demands were met.
Till Monday no one from the government gave them any assurance regarding their demands.
Under the banner of the 鈥楤angladesh coordination council of schools for children with disabilities鈥�, teachers from different districts have been continuing their sit-in programme in front of the National
Press Club in Dhaka city since February 23, pressing for a five-point demand charter.
The demands are鈥攊mmediate recognition and MPO facilities for all special schools for the students with disabilities; equipping all special schools with disabled-friendly infrastructure; ensuring minimum education allocation of Tk 3,000 for each special student; providing special students with midday meals, learning tools and sports items and implementing of therapy centres; and providing employment and rehabilitation to the special students under the vocational education curriculum.
On the day many teachers, including female ones, were seen sitting and sleeping on the footpath in front of the National Press Club.
Mosammat Farzana, a teacher from Langabazar school for the mentally disabled and autistic students in Gaibandha sadar, who joined the sit-in said that she had a 12-year son with autism spectrum.
鈥楢s a mother of a special child I know how important these schools are for families like us,鈥� she said.
The council鈥檚 president Md Elias Raz said that in December 2019 the social welfare ministry started accepting online applications from the special schools for providing MPO facilities.
At that time 2,741 schools across the country applied from which after assessment the ministry accepted 1,772 applications, he continued.
But the government had yet to provide the facilities to the schools from which it had accepted applications, forcing around 63,000 teachers and other staff of these schools to pass days in immense suffering, he said.
鈥業n our schools we not only teach the students but also give them therapies also,鈥� Elias added, urging the government to meet their demands immediately.
Rozina Akhter, a teacher from Tarakanda area in Mymensingh, asked, 鈥業f this anti-discrimination government does not meet our demand, how will discrimination against these students be addressed?鈥�
Schoolteachers, including Nurul Islam and Md Firoz Ahmed, who also participated in the sit-in, said that they did not get any salaries from the schools they worked for and so to earn a living they did private tuition and farming.