Pry teachers end hunger strike on minister’s assurance

The assistant teachers of the state-run primary schools, who went on indefinite hunger strike demanding a pay-scale upgrade, ended their strike on Monday evening upon assurance of the  Primary and Mass Education Minister to meet their demand.

The teachers ended their strike by drinking water and juice given by Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman at 5:30 pm.

They took the decision after a meeting with the Minister at his official residence as he assured of taking steps to reduce salary disparity between the assistant teachers and head teachers of the primary schools.

During the meeting Mostafizur told reporters, “They (teacher leaders) postponed their movement on my assurance. I told them I’ll talk to the Finance Minister over their salary scale. I urged them to suspend the movement and continue talks.” 

He quoted the teachers’ leaders as saying that they were not demonstrating against the government rather for the salary discrimination. “If the teachers continue their movement, it’ll not be good for anyone,” the Minister said.

The Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Grand Alliance organised the strike where eight different organisations of assistant primary teachers joined the alliance.

The agitated teachers said it was discriminatory and humiliating that they were paid under the 14th grade salary whereas a headmaster gets salary of the 11th grade.

They demanded that their salary be upgraded to the 12th grade.

Nearly 47 teachers among some 1,000 ones fell in sick during this three days hunger strike.  

Several political party leaders including Krishok Sramik Janata League president Abdul Kader Siddique, Bangladesh Communist Party leader Ruhin Hossain Prince expressed solidarity with the teachers.

Source: unb