Teachers on hunger strike demanding nationalisation

Teachers of MPO-enlisted education institutions yesterday went on an indefinite hunger strike in front of Jatiya Press Club to press home one-point demand for nationalisation of education system.

Several hundred teachers joined the hunger strike under the banner "Besarkari Shikhkha Jatiyakaran Liaison Forum", a platform of six organisations of teachers and employees, around 10:00am and vowed to continue their strike until they got assurance from the prime minister.

Earlier, the teachers staged a sit-in for five consecutive days from January 10 and threatened to start the fast unto death programme if their demand was not met by Sunday.

Jasim Uddin, joint convener of the forum, said they sat with the officials of the education ministry several times and placed their demand to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division in vain.

"That is why we have started the hunger strike. We will not return home until our demand is met," he told The Daily Star.

"We cannot rely on the education minister. We want an announcement from the prime minister," he said.

If education institutions are nationalised, teachers' facilities would increase and meritorious students would join the profession, he said.

Echoing the same, Abdul Khaleque, convener of the forum, said nationalising the education system could help remove the discrimination the teachers of private institutions face and ensure quality education.

"We request the government to nationalise all the MPO-enlisted education institutions altogether without going for nationalisation in a scattered manner. If nationalised, the government will not have to spend much additional amount, but the move will enhance the quality of education," he observed.

Samsunnaher, a teacher from Narayanganj, said, "It is the teachers who help build the nation. If they are neglected, the whole nation is neglected. We will not move until our demand is met."

Holding different placards, the teachers chanted slogans and delivered speeches. At least 30 of them fell sick by yesterday evening, claimed the leaders of the forum.

The teachers of independent ebtedai madrasas have meanwhile continued their hunger strike for the seventh day.

However, in a positive development, a delegation met State Minister for Technical and Madrasa Division Kazi Keramat Ali around 3:00pm yesterday.

"The minister assured us that they will try their best to meet our demand and urged us to return home," said one of the teachers wishing anonymity.

He added they would sit again with the minister today.

Asked about the matter, Qazi Ruhul Amin Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Swatantra Ebtedai Madrasa Shikkhak Samity, the organisation leading the movement, said they would disclose their decision today.

He added 177 teachers fell sick and 12 of them were given intravenous saline drips.

Earlier on Sunday, the teachers met the education minister who urged them to call off their strike assuring that their demand would be placed before the prime minister and the finance minister.

But the teachers rejected the call and continued with the strike.

There are around 48,000 teachers in about 10,000 madrasas who have not been receiving any government pay since the institutions got registered with the Madrasa Education Board in 1984.

In 1994, some 6,776 teachers of 1,519 madrasas started getting Tk 500 as allowances.

In 2013, the government raised the amount to Tk 1,000. In 2016-17, the government increased the allowances of the headteachers to Tk 2,500 and assistant headteachers to Tk 2,300.

But the rest of the teachers have never got any government allowance, said the teachers.