Assistant upazila education officers have demanded an upgrade to their position from the 10th grade to the 9th grade in the pay scale.
Bangladesh Assistant Upazila Education Officers Association placed the demand during a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, leaders of the association said administrative complications will arise in workplaces if assistant upazila education officers are not promoted to 9th grade.
Muhammad Melon Mia, convener of the organisation, said, “Primary school headteachers are being promoted to 10th grade and assistant teachers to 11th grade.”
The position of the education officers needs to be upgraded to the 9th grade as they supervise them (teachers) and grant their leaves, he added.
He also said that currently a total of 1,727 assistant upazila education officers are working across the country. Among them, 1,460 have achieved higher grades, time scales and selection grades.
Melon also said now they are also getting salary and allowances as per 7th to 9th grade.
In the circumstances, if the post of the education officers is upgraded to 9th grade, additional fund will be required for only 267 officers.
Al Amin Hawlader, member secretary of the organisation, said, “Since 1994, assistant teachers have been promoted from 18th grade to 11th grade and headteachers have been promoted from 17th grade to 10th grade, the grade of the district education officers and PTI superintendents has been promoted from 9th to 6th grade.”
The PTI instructor post has been upgraded from third-class to first class which is equivalent to 9th grade. But from 1994 to present, the grade of the assistant upazila education officers remains at 10th grade.
Speakers stated that assistant upazila education officers have been serving with the same grade for 31 years and that only 10% officers get opportunities for promotion.
Most of the assistant upazila education officers retire in the same post in which they joined, they said, and therefore, the issue of increasing job grade is not only a financial issue, but it is necessary to increase their social status.