The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has directed assistant teachers in government primary schools to immediately end their strike and return to work, warning that legal action will be taken under service rules and criminal law against those who fail to comply.
In a notice issued Wednesday, the ministry said it is aware that several assistant teacher associations have been on strike since 1 December and launched a “complete shutdown” on Wednesday, disrupting annual examinations and school activities.
The ministry noted that the teachers’ key demands, including upgrading pay to grade 11, resolving higher grade entitlements after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring 100 per cent departmental promotion to head teacher positions, have already been submitted to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Administration.
Ministry advisers and the Pay Commission chair have personally discussed these issues, and a request to upgrade assistant teachers’ pay scale from grade 13 to grade 11 was sent to the National Pay Commission on 7 August.
The Finance Division confirmed on 10 November that action would be taken once the Pay Commission’s report is received.
Despite these measures, some teacher associations obstructed examinations, prevented colleagues from conducting tests, and in some cases physically assaulted teachers.
The ministry condemned such actions as endangering students’ education and violating government service and criminal laws.
“All assistant teachers of government primary schools are instructed to immediately resume duties and ensure proper conduct of third-term examinations and related school activities,” the ministry said. “Failure to comply will result in legal action against those participating in disorderly conduct.”
The disruption continued on Wednesday, the third day of the annual exams, as teachers locked school buildings and staged sit-ins at Upazila Education Offices.
Arguments reportedly broke out between teachers and parents in several districts over the refusal to hold exams.
However, some headteachers, with the intervention of education officials, were able to conduct exams in certain areas. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a formal notice instructing teachers to withdraw their work stoppage and “complete shutdown,” emphasizing that failure to return to classroom duties would invite disciplinary and legal action.
Commenting on the situation, Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, convener of the ‘Primary Teachers Demand Implementation Council,’ said teachers would meet via Zoom to decide on the next steps.
“Teacher representatives from across the country will consult with their local colleagues. If teachers do not wish to continue the programme, it will be withdrawn. Otherwise, it will continue until our demands are met,” he said in a Facebook Live session.
Exams had been conducted on the first two days of the annual tests with assistance from parents and education officials, but on the third day, many schools remained locked.
Md Abul Kashem, president of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, reported that exams were not held in 13 upazilas of Mymensingh district on Wednesday.
In districts including Kushtia, Tangail, and Pirojpur, scuffles broke out between teachers and parents over school closures. In North Matlab Upazila of Chandpur, exams were conducted in only 30 out of 180 schools, with the remaining 150 schools unable to hold tests, according to Upazila Primary Education Officer Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid Mollah.
