Dhaka, Dec 25 (Just News) : The assistant teachers of government-run primary schools called off their hunger strike Monday evening, two days after they began the movement demanding the upgrading of their salary scale.
Primary and mass education minister Mostafizur Rahman ended the fast-unto-death programme by drinking them water and feeding bread on the Central Shaheed Minar premises in the capital around 5:30pm.
Earlier, representatives of the teachers sat with the minister this afternoon at his residence in the city for a discussion over their one-point demand.
The teachers called off their hunger strike after the minister assured them that the issue would be discussed with departments concerned.
The assistant teachers of the government primary schools across the country were continuing fast-unto-death for the third consecutive day on Monday at the Shaheed Minar to press home their lone demand.
They gathered at the Shaheed Minar from Saturday 10:00am and started fast-unto-death.
They urged the government to upgrade the salary scale of the assistant teachers to 11th grade from the 14th that would see the basic salary enhancement from Tk 9,500 to Tk 12,500.
More than a dozens of teachers had to be taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital as their health condition deteriorated but the demonstrators were determined to continue the movement.
Shopon Mia, a physically challenged assistant teacher of Rangpur, said if a headmaster gets salary under the 10th grade, an assistant teacher deserves the 11th grade. The government should reduce the discrimination by accepting the assistant teachers’ demand, he added.
He has come from Rangpur along with his fourteen months child and wife to join the protest.
Primary Assistant Teachers Greater Alliance, a combine of Bangladesh Primary Teachers Society, Bangladesh Primary School Teachers Association, Bangladesh Government Primary School Assistant Teachers Association and Primary School Assistant Teachers Forum organised the programme.
On December 9, the teachers threatened to go on fast-unto-death from December 23 if their status were not upgraded from 14th grade to 11th grade in the eighth national pay scale by December 22.
(Just News/ak/1856hr.)
