Demonstrating teachers of primary schools have threatened to boycott the Primary Education Completion (PEC) examination if their demands are not met by November 13.
Bangladesh Primary School Teachers’ Unity Council Convener Hanifur Rahman said: "If our demands are not met within November 13, and our meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is not arranged, then we will boycott the PEC exam scheduled for November 17."
With this announcement, he called off the primary school teachers' protest for Wednesday.
Earlier in the morning, several hundred primary school teachers demonstrated in Dhaka’s Doyel Chattar area, demanding upgradation of their salary structure.
They blocked the road from Doyel Chattar to Shaheed Minar, causing heavy traffic gridlock in Dhaka University and Dhaka Medical College Hospital areas.
Members of Bangladesh Primary School Teachers’ Unity Council also demanded an upgradation in the salary structure of assistant teachers, in accordance with the 11th grade of National Pay Scale.
Hundreds of primary school teachers block the road from Doyel Chattar to Shaheed Minar on Wednesday, causing heavy traffic gridlock in Dhaka University and Dhaka Medical College Hospital areas on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | Dhaka Tribune
A teacher named Abdul Malek, from Kishoreganj, told to Dhaka Tribune: “We also demand that the discrimination of wages between teachers and headmasters be removed.”
"Headmasters’ pay scale should be under the 10th grade whereas assistant teachers should be under 12th grade.”
Photo shows an injured protester during their their demonstration in Dhaka University and Dhaka Medical college and Hospital areas on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | Dhaka Tribune
He added: “Our demands are logical as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced to include us in the following grades in May 2014.”
"It was also an agenda in the manifesto of the Awami League-led government."
| Position | Current pay grade | Demanded pay grade |
Headmaster with training | 11th | --- |
Headmaster without training | 12th | --- |
Assistant teacher with training | 14th | 11th |
Assistant teacher without training | 15th | --- |
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education proposed to upgrade their salary structure -- 10th grade for headmasters and 12th grade for assistant teachers.
On September 11, 2018, a letter signed by Ministry of Finance Deputy Secretary Sadi Sharmin said there is no need for any upgradation in the salary structure.
There are 65,902 primary schools in Bangladesh, which employs 3,25, 000 assistant teachers and 42,000 headmasters.
