Hundreds of teachers of non-government primary schools have chosen to boycott classes and taken to the streets in the capital to meet their demand for nationalisation. Instead of taking classes at the beginning of the New Year, these teachers have opted for the full-throttled movement. They claim that it is a matter of their lives and livelihoods. They admit that the ongoing movement is severely hampering classes. However, they claim that they have resorted to the last option as the government has not responded to their demand.

On Sunday, primary teachers under the banner of the Bangladesh Non-Government Primary Teachers' Association gathered in front of the Jatiya Press Club, demanding immediate nationalisation of non-government primary schools. Around 17,000 primary teachers from 4,159 non-government primary schools across the country were participating in the movement, saying that they would not return to their classes and homes until their demands were met.

Such movement at the beginning of a new academic year has been affecting hundreds of thousands of students across the couyntry. Talking to The Independent yesterday students and guardians of several schools like Bujruk Bera RG Adibashi Non-government Primary School in Gaibandha, Paschim Beradanga Non-government Primary School in Gaibandha and Santoshpara Non-government Primary School in Dinajpur said the students are not going to school as their teachers are absent there.

Jahangir Hossain a Class-III student of Santoshpara primary school said, “I am not going to school because the teachers of our school are absent. I have heard they have gone to Dhaka but I don’t know why.”

Makbul Hossain, a guardian of a student of Paschim Beradanga primary school said, “I have heard that the teachers have gone to Dhaka for the nationalisation of the school. I support their movement but the classes should not be suspended which hamper the education.”

The agitated teachers said they would go for hunger strike if the government did not respond to their demand. They urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to nationalise their educational institutions. Their schools fulfilled all conditions for nationalisation, but they  were still being deprived of its benefits, the teachers claimed.

“We've repeatedly told the government nationalise non-government primary schools, but we've not got any response yet,” Kamal Hossain, secretary general of the Bangladesh Non-Government Primary Teachers' Association, told The Independent yesterday.

Asked whether their movement was hampering the academic activities, Kamal Hossain said: “One teacher is in the classroom, while three are participating in the movement in the capital. It’s true that classes are being hampered, but we've no other way left.”

He also said that they would go for hunger strike if their demands were not met. "Leaders of our central committee will meet today and determine the next course of action. We wouldn't return home until our demand is met,” he added. The Non-Government Education Nationalisation Liaison Forum, another platform for teachers and employees, is also carrying out their movement in front of the Jatiya Press Club from January 10.

Members of this platform have already started hunger strike since January 15. Several of the teachers have already fallen sick due to hunger strike and cold weather.

Forum convener Abdul Khaleque told The Independent they requested the government to nationalise their MPO educational institutions.  Around five lakh teachers and employees of around 27,000 educational institutions were being deprived of different facilities in the absence of nationalisation, he added.

Earlier, several other platforms of teachers and employees  orchestrated movements in the capital with the demand for monthly pay order (MPO) facility, nationalisation, removal of discrimination of salary between primary school headmaster and assistant teachers.