The education ministry has been giving assurances after assurances to agitated teachers that their demands will be met by the end of the present government’s tenure. But for that to happen will require huge funds, which, in turn, would put pressure on the budget, experts said. Experts said a huge amount of money, which has not yet been calculated, would be needed to fulfil the demands of the teachers.
The demands include enlisting non-government educational institutions under the monthly pay order (MPO) scheme, nationalisation of independent Ebte-dayee madrasas and so on. So far, the government has given assurances to three groups of teachers. The Bangladesh Primary Assistant Teachers' Grand Alliance launched an agitation at the Central Shaheed Minar for several days starting from December 24 with the demand that there is discrimination between their salary structure and that of the headmasters. They withdrew the agitation after the government’s assurances.
On the other hand, hundreds of teachers of non-government educational institutions, which are not covered by the MPO facility, staged an agitation in the capital demanding the facility. They called off the agitation, including hunger strike, after 11 days following an assurance from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The third group, independent Ebtedayee madrasa teachers, under the banner of the Independent Ebtedayee Madrasa Teachers' Association, ended their movement that started on January 1. It included eight days of hunger strike. Their demand was nationalisation of their institutions as their salary is too meagre compared to teachers of primary schools. Leaders of
madrasa teachers held a meeting with education minister Nurul Islam Nahid and state minister for education Kazi Keramat Ali before deciding to call off the hunger strike. The secretary of the Technical and Madrasa Division of the education ministry, Md Alamgir, came to Jatiya Press Club and ended the fast by feeding the teachers juice.
Almagir told the agitated teachers that the ministry would convey their message to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina within three days.
The association president, Kazi Ruhul Amin Chowdhury, said they are calling off their fast, but they want an announcement on fulfillment of their demand for nationalisation before the next budget in June.
Presently, another platform of teachers and employees, the Non-Government Education Nationalisation Liaison Forum, is carrying out a movement in front of Jatiya Press Club. It began on Wednesday with the demand for nationalisation of their educational institutions. They have also been on hunger strike since Monday. Several teachers have fallen sick as a result of the fast and cold weather.
The Forum convenor, Abdul Khaleque, told The Independent that they have requested the government to nationalise their MPO educational institutions such as schools, colleges, madrasas and technical schools. He said around five lakh teachers and employees of around 27,000 educational institutions are deprived of different facilities.
Rasheda K Chowdhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education and former advisor to the caretaker government, said: “The government should accept the logical demand of the teachers, but it's also true that the government should have the strength to bear the expenditure. If all demands of all teachers are accepted at the same time, it'd certainly put pressure on the government.”