Primary teachers call off indefinite strike after govt assurance

Assistant teachers of government primary schools, who had been demonstrating with a three-point demand, have suspended their indefinite work abstention. As a result, classes will resume as usual at all government primary schools across the country on Monday (November 10).

The decision was announced in separate press releases issued late Sunday (November 9) by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council.

Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, a key leader of the council, told Jago News that during a meeting they were informed about an inter-ministerial discussion scheduled for Monday to make a final decision on the teachers’ demands. “As there has been progress in the discussions, we have decided to temporarily suspend the work abstention. However, we will continue our sit-in programme at the Central Shaheed Minar,” he said.

When asked about classroom management during the ongoing sit-in, Masud said that while some teachers have joined the protest in Dhaka, others have remained at their respective schools. “Many teachers attended classes even on Sunday despite the work abstention. There should not be major disruption, though some inconvenience is expected. Once the government fulfills our demands, all teachers will return to their schools and fully focus on teaching,” he added.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education confirmed the suspension of the strike. The ministry’s senior information officer, Abdullah Shibli Sadiq, said the announcement followed a meeting between ministry officials and leaders of the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council and the Primary Assistant Teachers’ Unity Council. The meeting, chaired by Secretary Abu Taher Md Masud Rana, discussed the teachers’ concerns in detail.

According to the statement, the ministry assured that it would inform the Ministry of Finance about the teachers’ issues and work toward resolving them promptly. Following this assurance, the teacher leaders announced the suspension of their ongoing work abstention.

The assistant teachers’ demands include upgrading their pay scale from grade 13 to grade 10, resolving complications over higher-grade eligibility after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring full departmental promotion from assistant teacher to head teacher.