Classes in the MPO-listed (monthly payment order) academic institutions across the country were suspended yesterday due to a strike called by agitating teachers asking for nationalisations of their schools and colleges, reports UNB. There are 37,000 MPO-listed schools and colleges in the country where teachers get a part of their salaries from public coffer. These institutions observed the strike yesterday in solidarity with several hundred teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions staging a hunger strike for seventh straight day yesterday in front of National Press Club. They are on a fast unto death programme, asking for nationalization of all MPO-listed educational institutions.

The teachers and employees went on the hunger strike under the banner of "Beshorkari Sikkha Jatiyakoron Liaison Forum," a platform of six organisations of teachers and employees all over the country, from January 15.

Our Staff Reporter adds: 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 fulfill 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.