Teachers start hunger strike, plan for long march
Staff Reporter:
Teachers from MPO-listed educational institutions began a hunger strike at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Friday demanding fulfillment of their three-point charter, including an increase in house rent.
The protest entered its sixth consecutive day as hundreds of teachers joined the programme despite rain.
The hunger strike started after Jumma prayers on Friday, when more than a hundred teachers took position on the main altar of the Shaheed Minar while others remained scattered around the area.
Earlier in the morning, teachers gathered once again and held a rally at Dhaka University’s TSC before moving to the Shaheed Minar.
Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the Education Nationalisation Demand Alliance and one of the key organisers of the movement, said the programme was part of their plan to realise their demands.
He said the teachers were now considering a long march towards the chief adviser’s official residence Jamuna on Sunday if their demands were not met.
He accused the government of making a mockery of their demands, saying the Education Ministry had already agreed to the issues, but was now willing to accept only a quarter of one demand and remained silent on the other two.
Azizi said he met ministry officials on Thursday but teachers rejected the proposal placed by the government.
He added that they were determined to continue their movement as long as their demands were fully implemented.
Teachers from MPO-listed institutions began the movement on 12 October after the Finance Ministry issued a circular on 5 October increasing house rent by only Tk 500, which they turned down.
The three-point demand includes a 20 percent house rent allowance based on basic salary with a minimum of Tk 3,000, Tk 1,500 medical allowance for both teachers and employees, and 75 percent festival allowance for employees.
The protest intensified when police baton-charged the teachers during a rally in front of the National Press Club on 13 October.
Since then, the teachers both male and female have been staging a sit-in at the Shaheed Minar and on Wednesday blocked Shahbagh intersection for two and a half hours.
A meeting between teacher representatives and Education Adviser Professor CR Abrar took place at the Secretariat on Thursday but ended without any solution.
The adviser proposed a five per cent increase in house rent, which the teachers rejected and announced the hunger strike.
On Friday afternoon, they commenced the hunger strike in the rain, vowing not to withdraw until a gazette notification was issued increasing house rent as demanded.
Earlier, the plan for a march towards Jamuna was postponed but teachers now say they may resume the programme on Sunday if their demands remain unaddressed.