Clashes occurred between protesting primary teachers and the police when the latter obstructed a march heading towards Shahbagh, using water cannons, sound grenades, and tear shells to bring things under control.
‘Nearly 200 injured’
The Central President of the Bangladesh Primary School Assistant Teachers’ Association, Md Shamsuddin Masud, told TIMES of Bangladesh, “Nearly two hundred teachers have been injured due to police action. Some have broken legs, others have injuries in both eyes. Many have serious wounds. Everyone has been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.”
He also stated that the next course of action would be announced after ensuring proper medical treatment for the teachers.
According to in-charge of the Dhaka Medical Police Camp, Md Faruq, the injured have been arriving at the hospital one by one since this Saturday evening. They are being treated in the emergency department.
He informed that the majority of the injured have left after receiving primary treatment. The rest are still under medical care.
Earlier in the morning, assistant teachers of government primary schools began a continuous sit-in programme at the Central Shaheed Minar to realise their three-point demand, including a 10th-grade salary scale. Starting from 9am, thousands of teachers gathered there from various districts across the country. They announced they would continue the sit-in programme until their demands were met.
Multiple organisations of government primary assistant teachers have jointly called the programme under a platform named “Prathomik Shikkhok Dabi Bastobayon Parishad”, comprising four organisations, including different factions of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association.
According to sources at the Directorate of Primary Education, the job grade of government primary school head teachers has already been upgraded from 11th to 10th grade.
A proposal to upgrade assistant teachers from 13th to 11th grade has been sent to the Education Ministry, and the issue has been discussed at the pay commission. The matter is currently under process.
Teachers involved in the movement said assistant teachers have been demonstrating for a long-time demanding grade elevation. The ministry had initially proposed placing them in the 12th grade, but teachers rejected the offer.
Later, following continuous protests, the ministry announced an upgrade to the 11th grade, but the decision remains unimplemented even after more than two months.
The teachers also said they are now demanding the 10th grade to put pressure on the government to issue the 11th grade gazette quickly. They said they will return to classrooms once the 11th grade circular is officially published.
The three-point demands of the assistant teachers are: fixation of salary in the 10th grade, resolution of the higher-grade problem upon completion of 10 and 16 years of service, and implementation of 100% divisional promotion.
DMP’s statement
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued a statement regarding the clashes and the dispersal of the gathering of government primary school assistant teachers at Shahbagh.
It said, “A group of government primary school assistant teachers, protesting for various demands, assembled at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday. Around approximately 3pm, some protesters gathered in front of the Shahbagh Police Station under the pretext of a pen-down strike. Around approximately 4pm, a section of the protesters broke through the police barricade, crossed the Shahbagh intersection, and proceeded towards the state guesthouse, Jamuna. When police obstructed them at this time, they threw bricks and stones at the police. Several police members were injured as a result. To disperse those defying police instructions, the police subsequently fired several rounds of sound grenades and used water cannons.”
The statement goes on to add that all types of meetings, processions, and public gatherings are prohibited in and around the chief adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, and requested everyone to comply with the restrictions declared by the DMP “in the interest of safety and maintaining law and order.”
