Dhaka, Oct 14 Several teachers from Bangladesh’s non-government institutions listed under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme have threatened a long march towards the Secretariat if their demands are not met, as the ongoing sit-in protests in Dhaka entered its third consecutive day on Tuesday.
Their main demands include a 20 per cent house rent allowance, a medical allowance of Bangladeshi Taka 1,500, and a 75 per cent festival bonus for employees, local media reported.
The protest was organised under the banner of the MPO-affiliated Education Nationalisation Alliance at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital.
“We will not leave the streets until a notification is issued setting the housing allowance for teachers and employees at 20 percent of the basic salary, the medical allowance for teachers and employees under MPO at Tk 1,500 and the festival allowance for employees under MPO at 75 percent of their wages,” Bangladeshi media outlet bdnews 24 quoted the alliance’s member secretary, Delwar Hossain Azizi, as saying.
“Work abstention is being observed strictly in all MPO-listed educational institutions across the country. The education sector has become paralysed and stagnant. Teachers and employees will not take part in any classes or academic activities until our demands are fulfilled,” he added.
Speaking to Bangladeshi Bengali daily Prothom Alo, Azzizi said, “We have rejected the education advisor’s proposal for discussion. Our only demand is the official gazette notification. There’s no room for negotiation anymore.”
The protest erupted after the finance division of Bangladesh’s interim government on September 30 approved raising the house rent allowance for MPO-listed teachers and staff from 1,000 taka to 1,500 taka.
Earlier on Sunday, the teachers and employees launched a continuous sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to press for their demands.
Later in the day, the police reportedly dispersed the demonstrators in front of the press club using water cannons, baton charges, and sound grenades, prompting them to relocate their protest to Shaheed Minar.
On the other hand, the Awami League slammed the Muhammad Yunus regime for unleashing police brutality on teachers demanding fair pay.
Taking to X, the party said, “Teachers asking for a pay which they rightfully deserve — met with water cannons, sound grenades, and brute force. This is the Yunus regime’s definition of ‘democracy’: silence every demand, crush every voice. When educators are treated as enemies of the state, it’s not reform — it’s repression.”
Bangladesh has been gripped by numerous protests and extreme lawlessness since the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was overthrown during violent protests last year.
(Auto generated news from IANS Feed. This has not been edited by enewstime desk)
