A section of ibtedayi madrassah teachers on Sunday threatened to start fast unto death from today, demanding nationalisation of all ibtedayi madrassahs.
They made the announcement in front of the National Press Club area in the capital Dhaka on the 28th day of their sit-in there.
Under the banner of Independent Ibtedayi Madrassah Teachers鈥� Unity Movement Implementation Committee, the teachers coming from across the country began a sit-in in front of the Press Club on October 13.
Their demands include immediate nationalisation of all independent ibtedayi madrassahs, separate directorate for independent ibtedayi madrassahs and pre-primary positions in these madrassahs.
Independent Ibtedayi Madrassah Teachers鈥� Unity Council chairman Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman said that they had given the government time till Sunday to meet their demands.
鈥榃e want the education ministry issue a circular on nationalisation of all ibtedayi madrassahs,鈥� he said, 鈥榦therwise from tomorrow (Monday) we will start a hunger strike for an indefinite period.鈥�
He also alleged that the police earlier attacked their peaceful procession.
Mokhlesur vowed to continue their protest until their demands are met.
Earlier, on October 29, the police dispersed ibtedayi madrassah teachers using water cannon and hurling sound grenades to them in the capital as they tried to march towards the Bangladesh Secretariat. Some teachers got injured.
The protesting teachers said that in 1994 only 1,519 ibtedayi madrassahs got listed for government allowances while the rest remained out of the allowances till now.
They said that the teachers were living in inhuman condition as their poor salaries were insufficient to bear the daily expenses and that they were facing discrimination.聽
Previously, ibtedayi teachers began a sit-in programme in front of the Press Club on January 19 and continued till January 28.
On January 28, the education ministry announced that the government would nationalise the ibtedayi madrassahs gradually.
The protesting teachers alleged that the announcement remained on paper only.
As per the Bangladesh Education Statistics 2024, published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, the number of ibtedayi madrassahs in the country was 4,425 in 2023 and the number of teachers at the madrassahs were 19,099.聽
