At least 25 aspiring teachers were injured in police action to disperse them during a demonstration near the Bangladesh Secretariat Sunday afternoon.
The aspiring teachers gathered in front of the National Press Club in the morning and began a ‘Long March to Secretariat’ programme at about 1:30pm demanding direct appointments to the secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions.
When they tried to go near gate no 5 of the secretariat, the police barricaded them and the teachers locked in a scuffle with the police to remove the barricade, the protesters and the police said.
The police then hurled a number of sound grenades to disperse the protesters when the aspiring teachers were injured, they said.
‘25 to 30 of our teachers were injured in the police attack.  They are now in hospitals,’ said Uttam Sarker, one of the aspiring teachers.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna Division deputy commissioner Masud Alam said that the police hurled four sound grenades while three to four teachers received minor injuries.
Two police members were also injured when the teachers were trying to remove the barricades, he claimed.
He said that they put barricade there as all types of gatherings and processions were prohibited in the area.
He said that no none was arrested during the incident.
The DMP on May 10 this year issued a public notice prohibiting all types of gatherings and processions at the chief adviser’s official residence, State Guest House Jamuna, and the Bangladesh Secretariat and adjacent areas for maintaining public order and ensuring security for the chief adviser.
As their march towards the secretariat was foiled, the aspiring teachers returned to the National Press Club and took position in front of the club.
A huge number of police were also deployed there.
The aspiring teachers said that they were registered under the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority but failed to get recommendations from the authority to get appointments.
The government formed the NTRCA in 2005 to provide certificates to aspiring teachers of non-government secondary level schools, higher secondary level colleges, degree colleges and equivalent madrassahs and technical educational institutions after tests.
From the 13th batch, the NTRCA got the responsibility to recommend these educational institutions of the aspiring teachers against their vacant positions.
As per the government rules, since 2020, the age limit for aspiring teachers for the jobs has been fixed at a maximum of 35 years. Since 2023, the validity of the certificate has been fixed for three years.
According to the NTRCA, most of these aspiring teachers under 17th batch are aged over 35 years and their certificates had no validity now.
