Teachers blame govt for stalemate in edn sector

Members of Jatiya Shikkhak Karmachari Front stages a demonstration at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city yesterday reiterating their demand for 100 percent salary from the government exchequer. PHOTO: STAR

The striking teachers of non-government high schools, colleges and madrasas said the government has been passing time in the name of negotiations.

The prime minister called on the education minister, state minister for education, education secretary and her political secretary in her office on July 17 and entrusted them to end the teachers' strike through negotiations.

But it was alleged that none of them contacted the teachers even after a week of the prime minister's directives.

Along with the striking teachers of non-government high schools, colleges and madrasas, teachers of government colleges under the banner of BCS (General Education) Association yesterday observed their second day of three-day class abstention programme to realise their 10-point demand.

They will also observe the programme today.

The government teachers will again observe work abstention programme from August 5 to 10 if their demands are not met by July 31.

Meanwhile, the National Front of Teachers and Employees (NFTE), a platform of 11 organisations of teachers and employees, yesterday held a grand rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital where thousands of teachers from across the country were present.

Speakers at the rally said the BNP-Jamaat-led alliance in its election manifesto in 2001 pledged that they would provide cent percent basic salary to the teachers from the government exchequer if they were voted to power.

"But the alliance government did not keep its pledge in last four and a half years," they added.

"Now the government is ignoring us in the name of dialogue," said Quazi Faruque, chief coordinator and convenor of the NFTE, while addressing the rally.

Shikkhak-Karmachari Oikya Jote led by Prof Shariful Islam will hold protest meeting at every educational institutions today and observe two-hour sit-in programme at Muktangon in the capital on July 27.

Another faction of jote led by Selim Bhuiyan blamed the state minister for education and finance minister for creating impasse at secondary and higher secondary level education.

Teachers under the jote yesterday observed one hour sit-in programme in front of the offices of upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) across the country, he claimed.

Meanwhile, polytechnic teachers under the banner of Bangladesh Polytechnic Teachers Association yesterday completed their three-day work abstention programme to press home their 10-point demand.