Primary Teacher Coordination Council demands 10th Grade, full departmental promotions

The Primary Teacher Coordination Council has demanded the elevation of primary assistant teachers to the 10th grade and 100 per cent departmental promotions to address discrimination.

Speakers highlighted these issues during a press conference held at the Press Club on Friday (27 September), according to a press release.

In a written statement, Shahinur Akhtar, President of the National Primary Assistant Teachers Foundation, noted that the last national pay scale was announced in 2015, during which primary teachers continued to face discrimination. Over the past decade, rising living costs have left primary teachers struggling to cope with market prices. Promises of salary increases made during the tenure of previous authoritarian governments have yet to be realized.

She stated that the 2015 pay scale established 20 grades, with the maximum salary difference between the 20th and 11th grades set at Tk800. However, the gap between the 10th and 1st grades has been set at up to Tk12,000, resulting in no improvement in the living standards of 13th-grade assistant teachers and 11th-grade head teachers.

Shahinur Akhtar added that promotions to head teacher positions, which have been stalled since 2009, have yet to see any progress. Many primary teachers are retiring in the same position they joined. Additionally, promotions for head teachers have been blocked as well.

The statement further mentioned that the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has proposed 12th-grade designation for assistant teachers, 11th-grade for assistant head teachers, and 10th-grade for head teachers to alleviate disparities. The Primary Teacher Coordination Council has rejected this proposal, insisting on the demand for 10th grade and 100% departmental promotions from the entry-level position.

The following programmes were announced:

A human chain and submission of a memorandum to the Chief Advisor through the District Commissioner's office on 3 October.

A human chain at key locations in divisional cities and submission of a memorandum to the Chief Advisor through the Divisional Commissioner on 8 October.

If no necessary actions are taken by 17 October, a human chain at the National Press Club and submission of a memorandum to the Chief Advisor on 19 October, along with additional announcements regarding future programmes.

The press conference was attended by prominent figures including Md Aminul Haque, Gaziul Haque Chowdhury, Asma Khanam, Sabera Begum, Md Mojammel Hossain, Kamrul Hasan, Md Mizanur Rahman, Md Anwar Ullah, Promothesh Dutta, Md Anjarul Islam, Wayeis Chowdhury, TM Zakir Hossain, Gazi Salauddin, Robiul Awal, Shibaji Biswas, Md Jahangir, Ahsan Habib, and Md Masud, among others.