Academic activities came to a halt in the country’s public universities yesterday as the teachers observed work abstention in protest against the newly approved Eighth National Pay Scale.
The protest was coordinated by the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA), who called for work abstention in the country’s 37 public universities rejecting the new pay scale that allegedly did not reflect their demands.
At Dhaka University, DU Teachers’ Association (DUTA) carried out a demonstration to press home their demand for a separate pay scale for teachers, reports our correspondent at the university.
Boycotting all classes and examinations for the day, over a hundred teachers held a protest rally on the Aparajeyo Bangla premises and marched out to the Central Shaheed Minar in the morning.
The protest went peacefully in all state-run universities, said Prof Maksud Kamal, secretary general at the FBUTA.
“We appreciate the prime minister for looking into this issue, as she has ordered a committee comprising senior ministers to review the pay scale and discuss our demands,” he said.
He also said the National Pay and Services Commission had not taken their demands into consideration when it prepared the pay scale.
“The pay commission led by Dr Farash Uddin is an agency run by bureaucrats. They did not consider our demands.”
Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed, president of the FBUTA, said the teachers would continue their movement as long as their demand were not met.
He also urged the government to include a teacher as a representative in the review committee.
Asked about Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s open criticism of the movement, he said it was expected of the minister. “He has made comments about things he knew nothing about before. It is nothing new.”
At Jahangirnagar University, JU Teachers’ Association (JUTA) arranged for several hundreds of teachers to gather in protest of the “humiliating pay scale” and boycott classes.
Sources on the JU campus told our correspondent there that the JUTA brought out a silent procession around 11:30am at the old arts faculty premises, parading campus streets before coming to an end at the JU Shaheed Minar.
Addressing the procession, JUTA President Prof Khabir Uddin said the circumstance had become so tough for the teachers that they had no alternative way to press home their demand.
The protesting teachers also called for the continuation of work abstention until their demand for a separate pay scale was met, sources on the campus told the Dhaka Tribune.
Prof Khabir Uddin said the JUTA would urge the FBUTA to continue the work abstention today, and if the federation was unwilling to do so, they would coerce them to continue the protest.
“The Eighth National Pay Scale is humiliating for public university teachers, and if not revised, it would be devastating for the country’s higher education system,” JUTA General Secretary Prof Mafruhi Sattar told the Dhaka Tribune.
“The new pay scale will discourage the brilliant and meritorious students to take up teaching as a profession.”
In Chittagong, all classes and other academic activities were put on hold at three public universities – Chittagong University, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Science University.
Teachers at these universities enforced work abstention in protest of the new pay scale, terming it discriminatory, reports our Chittagong University correspondent.
The CU Teachers’ Association (CUTA) held a rally at Bangabandhu Chattar in front of the Administration Building around 11am. Later, they brought out a procession and marched around the campus.
“We are demonstrating against the discrimination we are being subjected to through the new pay scale,” said CUTA General Secretary Prof Khasrul Alam Quddisi. “We have Staged several demonstrations in this regard. A delegation of CUTA will visit Dhaka to join the sit-in programme scheduled to be held on Sunday.”
Similar situation was seen on the campuses of the other two universities.
“No classes and examinations are being held today as teachers are observing work abstention,” said Prof Dr Sudip Kimar Pal, general secretary of CUET Teachers’ Association.
“If this issue is not resolved soon, the situation will only get worse at public universities,” he added.
Teachers at Rajshahi University and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet) brought out separate processions on the campuses.
Rejecting the national pay scale, RU Teachers’ Association President Prof Ananda Kumar Saha alleged that all public university teachers had been disgraced by it, says our RU Correspondent.
“If the government does not fulfil our demands immediately, we will go on tougher agitation for indefinite period,” a teacher said.
Public university teachers have been protesting the Eighth National Pay Scale since May 14 and advocating their four-point charter of demand which includes formation of a commission to initiate an independent pay scale for the teachers.
The demands also include immediate revision of eighth pay scale, and keeping senior professors and senior secretaries of the government on the same pay grade.