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Published : 30 Nov 2025, 02:55 PM
A section of primary school assistant teachers is conducting a total work stoppage programme and have announced a boycott of annual exams starting on Monday.
Supporters of the “Primary Teacher Demand Implementation Council” conducted the protest action for a second day on Sunday.
A few days ago, they had staged protests pressing for three demands, including salary at the 10th Grade of the national pay scale. Later, they suspended the protest programme after receiving assurances of salaries in the 11th Grade.
Teachers at Chanpur Government Primary School in Mymensingh’s Phulpur Upazila are on strike on Sunday, “Primary Teacher Demand Implementation Council” Convevor Md Abul Kashem, a teacher at the school, told bdnews24.com.
He said, "The annual exams start from Monday. However, we will boycott the annual exams and continue our strike. Our strike will continue until the salary is implemented at the 11th Grade as promised."
Another convenor of the council, Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, said that a work stoppage is ongoing at Tripalpur Government Primary School in Noakhali Sadar Upazila.
He said, "We are observing a full-day strike as there has been no desired progress in issuing the notification for the 11th Grade salary and implementation of other demands as per the assurances of the Ministry of Finance. The full-day work stoppage will go on until our three-point demand, including salary at 11th Grade is fulfilled.”
Primary school assistant teachers, under the banner of the “Primary Assistant Teacher Organisations' Unity Council”, a coalition of 12 teacher groups had launched a three-day total work stoppage programme to press for a series of demands relating to pay grades and promotions. However, some of them returned to classes on Sunday.
Shahinur Al Amin, president of Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers’ Society -- one of the coalition’s member groups, said: "We returned to classes on Sunday after a three-day strike. The annual exams start on Monday, and we will not hold the children hostage to any programme."
Shahinur also said that teachers at Baghasur Government Primary School in Dhaka’s Keraniganj, where he works as an assistant teacher, did not go on strike.
He said, "Annual exams will continue until Dec 10. Once the exams are over, we will go on hunger strike from Dec 11."
From Nov 8, teachers launched a continuous sit-in at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar over grade, salary, and promotion issues. On that day, they attempted a march towards Shahbagh while observing a pens-down programme. Police intercepted them outside Shahbagh Police Station, using tear gas shells, water cannons, and batons, forcing them to return to Shaheed Minar. Several teachers were injured, prompting a strike from the following day.
On Nov 10, officials from finance and primary and mass education ministries met the teachers, promising pay at the 11th Grade and measures to resolve higher-grade promotion issues.
Following that, the strike was withdrawn.
