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The teachers of government secondary schools threatened to wage tougher movement from next month (December), if their demands are not realised.
They issued the warning at a rally on the premises of Shikkha Bhaban, the headquarters of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), on Abdul Gani Road in the capital on Thursday.
The teachers have long been pressing for realisation of four demands, including elevating their pay-scale from Grade 10 to Grade 9, and forming an independent Directorate of Secondary Education without delay.
The teachers gave the government until Sunday to act. They said if their demands go unmet, they would boycott the annual exams and admission procedure from Monday as well as enforce shutdown across more than 700 government schools.
Teachers from districts across the country joined the demonstration at Shikkha Bhaban on Thursday morning under the banner of 'Government Secondary Teachers' Association'.
The teachers said they have long been denied promotion opportunities, as only one position is currently eligible for promotion.
"We want the assistant teacher post to be included in Grade 9 of the BCS (General Education) cadre. A separate Directorate of Secondary Education should be formed immediately with its gazette published. Once the directorate is established and the posts are listed as cadre positions, we will have access to other administrative roles," said Shahab Uddin Mahmud Salmi, former general secretary of the association.
"In reality, the teachers are struggling with salaries in Grade 10. If our four demands are not met within the deadline, we will suspend all activities, including the ongoing annual exams and admission process," he added.
Their other demands include: appointment, promotion, and posting of the teachers working in schools and inspection branches to the existing vacancies; issuing the pending timescale and selection grade approval order within three working days in line with the Supreme Court's verdict; and publishing the gazette restoring the advance salary benefits for the assistant teachers with three or two increments as they had before 2015.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com