Pry school teachers to stage grand rally on Dec 24

Primary school teachers yesterday called for rallies at district- and division-level from November 1 to December 15, and a grand rally in Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar on December 24 to press home their demand for upgrading their status to 11th grade in the 8th national payscale, reports UNB.

Prathamik Sahakari Shikkhak Federation, an alliance of four organisations of the teachers' associations, announced it at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club.

Jahidur Rahman Biswas, president of Bangladesh Sarkari Prathamik Bidalaya Shikkhak Samity, one of the alliance members, said some 3.5 lakh assistant primary school teachers were the victims of salary discrimination.

The teachers' leaders demanded elimination of the "disparity" in the new payscale by providing a minimum salary of Tk 12,500, 100 percent departmental promotion to headmaster post instead of direct recruitment in head teacher post, fixing minimum eligibility of a Bachelor's degree instead of HSC to be an assistant teacher, and a separate payscale for teachers.

Our staff correspondent adds, the teachers observed work stoppage several days in the last one month for realising their demands.

Meanwhile, Swadhinata Shikkhak Parishad, a platform of the teachers of non-government schools, colleges, madrasas and universities, yesterday demanded inclusion of adequate representatives from non-government institutions in the proposed separate commission to recruit teachers.

At a press conference, they also sought nationalisation of all non-government educational institutions.