Dhaka, Jan 24 (V7N) – Police intervened to stop a march by government primary school assistant teachers heading towards Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus’s residence to demand the implementation of the 10th-grade pay scale.
The procession started Friday afternoon from the Central Shaheed Minar but was halted by the police in front of Shahbagh police station.
Earlier in the morning, from 10am, teachers from various government primary schools across the country gathered at the Shaheed Minar premises for a rally.
During the rally, they vowed to uphold their demands and declared that they would not compromise on securing their rights.
Later, BNP executive member Rafiqul Islam and a factional president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, Nurul Haque Nur, expressed solidarity with their movement.
At one point, the protesting teachers set a deadline of 2pm for government representatives to meet them.
When no representatives appeared by the deadline, the teachers started marching towards Jamuna at 3:45pm, intending to deliver their demands to the chief adviser’s residence.
However, police officials intervened and stopped the march.
Discussions were initiated with a 10-member delegation of the teachers at Shahbagh police station to review their demands and decide the next course of action.
Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Khalid Mansur said that the teachers intended to submit a memorandum at the chief adviser’s residence.
“We have convinced them to refrain from proceeding further. Currently, they are stationed in front of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. With our cooperation, a delegation has taken the memorandum to the chief adviser’s residence.”
After being stopped, the teachers staged a sit-in at Shahbagh, where teacher leaders were delivering speeches using microphones.
The protesting teachers claim that being placed in the 13th-grade pay scale categorizes them as third-class employees, which they consider a dishonor.
"Teachers are the architects of the nation," one teacher said, adding: "The implementation of the 10th grade must happen immediately. Currently, the basic salary in the 13th grade is Tk11,000, while in the 10th grade, it would rise to Tk16,000."
END/MSS/AJ
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