Vocational teachers threaten agitation

At a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium, BBKSS leaders said these teachers are not even issued any letter showing the reasons for non-payment of their due salaries since last nine months.

They also reiterated their 11-point demand including removal of discrimination between general and technical education, reduction of lower affiliation fees for vocational training institutes (VTI) and colleges that offers business management (BM) courses, appointment of experts in vocational education board and equipping the institutions with adequate manpower.

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The leaders said the normal schools and colleges pay Tk 2000 for board affiliation for a three-year term, but the VTIs and BM colleges need Tk 5000 and Tk 6000 respectively for one-year affiliation only.

Regarding the scarcity of teaching staffs they said there is only one post of lecturer for English and Bangla, and there is no post of teacher for mathematics, statistics or religious studies.

There is only one post of MLSS but no post for security or night guard despite there are computers and other costly equipment in the laboratories, they added.

The leaders alleged that the affiliations of some non-governmental VTIs have been arbitrarily cancelled for personal political affiliation of their teaching staffs.

They also announced launching of nation-wide campaign from May 1 to June 15, holding dialogues with different professional bodies from June 16 to 30 and holding national convention of sacked teachers and staffs in Dhaka at a suitable time between July 1 to 7.

BBKSS President Md Shahjahan Alam Shaju read out a written statement at the press conference where General Secretary A K M Muksedur Rahman, Vice-presidents Nasiruddin Babu and Abul Kalam Azad, Joint Secretaries Ataur Rahman and Alauddin Ahmed and Treasurer Bashir Uddin Ahmed were present.