DHAKA: The primary schoolteachers have been observing their indefinite hunger strike for second consecutive day on Sunday (December 24) demanding reducing the salary difference between the head teachers and the assistant teachers.

The assistant teachers of state-run primary schools from across country are observing the strike at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka. They sat in the hunger strike unto death on Saturday morning (December 23). Thousands of teachers joined it.

Among them, six were hospitalized on Sunday (December 24) as they fell ill. They were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at about 11:30 am.

The sick schoolteachers are- Mohammd Abu Taleb of Sadullapur upazila in Gaibandha, Saleha Akhter of Raipur upazila in Laxmipur, Aynal Haque of Dhunat upazila in Bogra, Rafiqul Islam of Chandpur Sadar upazila, Siddikur Rahman of Durgapur upazila in Rajshahi and Zahid Hasan of Mathbaria upazila in Pirojpur.

Fazle Rabbi, an assistant teacher from Gaibandha, told the media that many other schoolteachers are also feeling unwell.

Meanwhile, the primary and mass education ministry called an emergency meeting in the ministry to resolve the crisis. The meeting will be held on Sunday (December 24).

The hunger strike is being observed under the banner of the Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers Union. Bangladesh Primary Teachers Society, Bangladesh Primary School Teachers Association, Bangladesh Government Primary School Assistant Teachers Association and Primary School Assistant Teachers Forum are under the fold of the alliance.
Some tents were made there. However, many school teachers were seen lying or sitting on the Central Shaheed Minar premises under the open sky.

The primary teachers vowed to continue the strike until the salary discrimination ends. They urged the government to fulfill their demand immediately.

Leaders of the Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers Union urged the government to upgrade the salary scale of the assistant teachers to 11th grade from the 14th that would see the basic salary enhancement from Tk. 9,500 to Tk 12,500.

President of Bangladesh Primary Teachers Society Shahinur Al Amin said that they have been forced to take a hard line stance as the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to their demand although they earlier formed human chains, staged demonstration and several other programs.

He, however, sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention to resolve the crisis.

President of Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers Foundation President Shahinur Akhter said that if the headmasters of the schools receive salaries under the 10th grade, then assistant teachers deserve to be paid under the 11th grade.

The government had upgraded the pay scale of assistant teachers to the 14th grade in 2015.

Currently, there are about 350,000 assistant primary teachers across the country.

According to the agitated teachers, there had been the difference of just a single grade between the salary structures of headmasters and assistant teachers in 1973. The difference was doubled in 2006, which jumped to a three-grade difference in 2015

BDST: 1615 HRS, DEC 24, 2017
EHJ/SMS