Teachers of 37 public universities have threatened to shut down the institutes if their demands on pay scale revision are not met by the end of this month. The teachers said they would announce a tougher agitation on January 2 under the banner of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA) if their “just” demands are not met. They also requested the intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this regard. The remarks came at a press conference, organised by FBUTA at the Dhaka University Club yesterday, led by its president Prof. Farid Uddin Ahmed. Other public universities across the country also held a simultaneous press conference at their respective institutions to press for their demand. “The finance minister promised to meet all our demands but did nothing. We've been deceived. Whom shall we rely on if such a senior minister does not keep his word?” said Farid Uddin. “We've no option but to take a final decision. It may be complete shutdown of the universities,” he added. “We carried out a peaceful movement without hampering the education of students. But now it’s a question of teachers’ dignity,” he said. The teachers claimed that the finance minister had promised to meet three demands, but the first two have already been turned down. Those were restoration of the selection grade and time scale, and promotion of a section of professors to Grade-1 in the eighth pay scale, which is the grade of the senior secretary. The teachers alleged that an “illegal” circular was issued in the name of the finance minister, seeking recommendations of the committee to remove salary discrimination. They claimed that they have come to know through the law minister and the education minister that the cabinet committee did not take such a decision. The teachers at the press conference requested the finance minister to cancel the “illegal” circular, and urged him to investigate the matter and identify the persons responsible for it and to ensure their punishment.
They also requested the finance minister to refrain from making scathing remarks about teachers and not to interfere in the universities created under the Order of 1973 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.