The teachers, who have been staging a sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar demanding a 20 percent increase in house rent allowance, were scheduled to begin their long march toward the Secretariat at 12 noon on Tuesday (October 14).
The announcement came after Principal Delwar Hossain Aziji, member secretary of the MPO-affiliated Education Nationalization Alliance, received a phone call from Hasnat Abdullah. Principal Aziji relayed the message to the gathered teachers through the program’s microphone.
“NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah, who has always stood beside us, called me just moments ago,” said Aziji. “He informed me that a meeting is taking place at the Secretariat regarding our demands. He has requested that we refrain from marching toward the Secretariat until a decision is made. We have therefore decided to wait for the ministry’s decision before announcing our next program.”
Earlier in the day, thousands of teachers gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar to join the ‘March to Secretariat’ program, demanding a 20 percent rise in rent allowance and other benefits.
Since Monday morning, classes in all private MPO-listed educational institutions across the country have been suspended, as teachers continue their strike demanding increased allowances and protesting the use of police force during earlier demonstrations. As a result, teaching activities in schools and colleges nationwide have come to a standstill.
The protesting teachers have described the government’s proposed increase in rent and medical allowances as “insufficient and unrealistic.” They are demanding a 20 percent rise based on the basic salary and the implementation of a universal transfer policy for teachers under the MPO system.
The next course of action by the teachers’ alliance will depend on the decision of the ministry meeting, expected later today.
