Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday assured the public university teachers of a quick solution to their demands – mainly a separate pay scale and elimination of salary discrepancies.
“The Prime Minister is very sympathetic to the teachers’ demands,” he told reporters after a meeting with public university teachers at his Mintu Road residence in the capital. “I hope the problem will be resolved soon as a cabinet committee is working over the issue.”
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) General Secretary ASM Maksud Kamal, however, urged the minister to constitute a new pay commission by September 22 for proposing a new pay structure for them.
Before awarding separate pay scale for them, he sought an interim arrangement to remove the discrimination over the salaries.
The teachers of the public universities have been demanding a separate pay scale and removing the salary discrepancies since the cabinet’s approval to the 8th national pay scale on September 7, which they consider created the discrepancies. The teachers are observing strikes and work abstentions to press home their demands.
FBUTA President Farid Uddin Ahmed and its general secretary ASM Maksud Kamal, president of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) Teachers Association Prof Dr M Ehsan, and president of Jahangirnagar University Teachers Association (JUTA) Prof Khabir Uddin were, among others, present at the meeting with the minister.
Nahid said the meeting also discussed about education and other issues of the universities, besides their demands.
He said the government has constituted a cabinet committee, headed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, to remove the salary discriminations as it gives importance to the teachers’ demand. He assured the teachers of placing the demands before the committee.