Assistant teachers of government primary schools, who have been protesting for their three-point demand, have suspended their complete shutdown programme. They have also announced that they will return to the annual examinations from Sunday (7 December).
The information was confirmed in a joint statement issued around 12am on Thursday (4 December) by the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council and the Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers’ Association Unity Council.
According to the statement, considering ethical and humanitarian grounds and the wellbeing of students “who are like our own children”, the complete shutdown or school-locking programme in all government primary schools is being suspended until the completion of the third-term or annual examinations starting next Sunday.
It further stated that from Sunday, third-term assessments or annual examinations for all classes in government primary schools will proceed as scheduled. Based on discussions between the implementation council and the unity council, the next course of action will be announced later.
To press home their three-point demand, assistant teachers began an indefinite work stoppage on 27 November. They later declared a boycott of the annual examinations scheduled to start on 1 December. On 2 December, they enforced a complete shutdown by locking school gates.
The teachers’ programmes disrupted annual examinations in most primary schools across the country. In some places, head teachers conducted exams with support from the upazila administration and parents, but this led to chaos and disorder in many centres.