Independent recruitment body if AL voted to power

Speaking at a meeting with a delegation of Shikkhak-Karmachari Oikya Front (teachers-employees' united front) at her party's Dhanmondi office, she said if in power, they would give full salary of teachers and employees of non-government schools and colleges as in the case of government educational institutions, and also increase other facilities for them.

Hasina, also leader of the opposition in parliament, also pledged to fulfil other demands of the teachers and employees of non-government institutions if the AL returns to power.

The BNP-Jamaat alliance government has politicised all organisations including educational institutions and thus destroyed the nation's achievements in the field of education.

She stressed establishing more educational institutions to attain 100 percent literacy rate. Multi-track education is needed to eliminate poverty, she said.

Turning to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's remarks that a party wants to come to power through backdoor, Hasina said certainly that party is BNP.

Militancy, extra judicial killings, repression, looting, price hike of essentials and spread of corruption have marked the rule of Khaleda government, she said.

Front President Principal Quazi Farook Ahmed told Hasina that the alliance government has stopped giving salaries to 36,000 teachers and lodged around 10,000 cases to harass the teachers and employees.

Those who spoke at the meeting included AL leader Nurul Islam Nahid, Prof Sheikh Amanullah, Prof Mirza Mohiuddin, Prof Abu Taher, Prof Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Prof Asadul Huq, Prof SMA Jalil, Prof Mujibur Rahman, Prof Bayejid, Prof Saidur Rahman and Prof Firoj Mia.

AL senior leaders Syeda Zohra Tajuddin, Abdur Razzak, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Abdul Mannan Khan, and former Dhaka University vice chancellor Prof AK Azad Chowdhury were present.