Police have obstructed a march by teachers from schools for children with disabilities as they attempted to proceed towards the Secretariat to press home their five-point demand.
Around 1:30pm on Sunday, the teachers began their procession from in front of the National Press Club and moved towards the Secretariat via Paltan intersection.
As they approached Gate No-5 of the Secretariat, the police put up barricades to stop them.
Following the obstruction, a six-member delegation of teachers went to the Secretariat to meet with the education adviser. The delegation included Md Ilias Raj, president of the Bangladesh Coordination Council of Schools for Persons with Disabilities; Chief Coordinator Gausul Azam Shimu; General Secretary Rima Khatun; Coordinator MA Salam; Md Asaduzzaman; and Advocate Anwar Hossain.
The teachers’ demands include the immediate recognition and inclusion of all special (autistic and disability-focused) schools under the MPO (Monthly Pay Order) scheme, ensuring disability-friendly infrastructure in all special schools, guaranteeing an educational stipend of Tk3,000 for all special students, providing mid-day meals along with necessary educational materials, sports equipment and the establishment of therapy centres, creating employment and rehabilitation opportunities for students under a vocational education curriculum, and enforcing the existing quota for persons with disabilities in all sectors of employment.