Primary teachers begin nonstop sit-in for 10th grade pay

Teachers from across the country have gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar to press for their three demands

Assistant teachers from government primary schools have launched a continuous sit-in in Dhaka, demanding salaries under the 10th pay grade along with two other demands.

The programme began on Saturday morning at the Central Shaheed Minar, where teachers from across the country converged to press for their demands.

The protest action is being organised under the banner of the "Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council", a coalition of four teacher organisations.

Their two other demands are resolving the complications over higher-grade promotions after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring 100 percent departmental promotions.

Khairun Nahar Lipi, general secretary of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association (Shahin–Lipi) told bdnews24.com the sit-in would continue until their demands were met.

“More than 20,000 teachers will attend this programme. Teachers are coming from faraway districts and many are still on the way. I call on all government primary school teachers to join the movement,” she said.

The other participating organisations include the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association (Kashem-Shahin faction), the Bangladesh Primary School Assistant Teachers’ Association and the Assistant Teachers’ 10th Grade Implementation Council.

Assistant teachers appointed in the third phase under Dhaka and Chattogram divisions also declared their support for the movement.

Bangladesh currently has 65,567 government primary schools employing around 384,000 teachers, according to the Directorate of Primary Education.

On Apr 24, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education initiated a proposal to upgrade the salaries of head teachers from grade 11 to grade 10, and assistant teachers from grade 13 to grade 12. However, assistant teachers remain dissatisfied.

“Administrative officers in ministries holding Bachelor’s or equivalent degrees receive 10th grade pay. Nurses with HSC and nursing diplomas get 10th grade pay. Sub-assistant agriculture officers with SSC and agriculture diplomas also get 10th grade pay. Police sub-inspectors and assistant teachers in government secondary schools receive the 10th grade with Bachelor’s or equivalent degrees," said Lipi.

“But assistant teachers in government primary schools, who also hold Bachelor’s or equivalent degrees and have completed C-in-Ed, BP.Ed, or BTPT courses, are placed in the 13th grade. Even teachers in PTI-affiliated laboratory schools are paid in the 10th grade. Therefore, we are starting our sit-in to demand the same.”

Meanwhile, another faction of assistant teachers under the banner of the Primary Assistant Teachers’ Unity Council gave the government a deadline until Nov 15 to meet their three demands -- salaries under the 11th grade, resolution of higher-grade complexities and guaranteed full departmental promotion.

They announced a series of protests if the demands are not met within the deadline: a half-day work stoppage on Nov 23 and 24, a full-day work stoppage on Nov 25 and 26, followed by a sit- in outside the Directorate of Primary Education on Nov 27.

The organisation has further warned that if there is no visible progress or government assurance by then, they will boycott examinations and begin an indefinite hunger strike from Dec 11.