The assistant teachers of the government primary schools on Wednesday began a countrywide half-day work abstention, demanding salary hike and promotion.
They are scheduled to continue the half-day strike till May 25 and from May 26 they are scheduled to start full day work abstention.
The protesting teachers, under the banner of 鈥楶rimary Assistant Teachers Association Unity Council鈥�, earlier observed one-hour countrywide work abstention from May 5 to 15 and two-hour countrywide work abstention from May 16 to 20.
Their demands are鈥攆ixing assistant teacher position as entry level position to all government primary schools; upgrading assistant teachers鈥� salary to the 11th grade; removing the existing barriers to achieving higher grade for the teachers who are 10 years and 16 years into the job; making provision that all head teachers will be appointed from the pool of assistant teachers through promotion; and making provision for quicker promotion.
Council president Md Anisur Rahman said that they would observe the half-day work abstention during the classes till May 25.
鈥業f our demands go unheeded, we will go for full day work abstention from May 26,鈥� he said.
He said that in Dhaka the work abstention would be observed between 7:30am to 11:00am while at other places it would be observed from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
Today (Thursday) they are also scheduled to meet the director general of the Directorate of Primary Education at his office, Anisur added.聽聽
In Dhaka, Nilkhet Govt Primary School head teacher Jannatul Naima and Khodeza Khatun Government Primary School head teacher Nurjahan however told 抖阴精品 that the assistant teachers did not observe the work abstention in these schools.
Currently, primary school assistant teachers start job at 13th grade, while the head teachers get paid as per 11th grade.
The assistant teachers want 11th grade as entry level for them.
The leaders alleged that since 2019 due to bureaucratic red tape their promotion remained halted, which they were supposed to get after 10 years and 16 years into the job, according to the service rules governing the primary schoolteachers.
Currently, the government appointed 35 per cent primary school head teachers through the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, while the rest 65 per cent positions were filled up by promoting assistant teachers, they continued.
The protesting teachers demanded 100 per cent positions of head teachers to be filled by promoting assistant teachers.
According to the Annual Primary School Census 2023, the latest one, the number of government primary schools is 65,567, and the number of assistant teachers in these schools is 3,19,625.
