Candidates selected for the post of assistant teacher in government primary schools on Sunday called off their protest in Dhaka’s Shahbagh after the government brought forward their joining date and assured them that appointment letters would be issued soon.
The decision came after the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a revised notification saying the 14,384 selected assistant teachers would join their respective District Primary Education Offices on 1 October instead of the previously announced 29 October.
They will receive their postings on 2 October, while professional training will be arranged later.
The protesters withdrew their sit-in after holding talks with ministry officials and after the notification was published.
Earlier in the day, thousands of selected candidates from across the country staged a sit-in in front of the National Museum, demanding appointment and posting within August. Police erected barricades and deployed a water cannon in front of Shahbagh Police Station, while traffic on one side of the Shahbagh-TSC road remained closed during the protest.
The protesters said they had been waiting for 175 days to join their jobs despite being finally selected for assistant teacher posts. They alleged that although all stages of the recruitment process had been completed, they had been left in prolonged uncertainty.
The demonstration formally began around 11:45am with the recitation of the Holy Quran, readings from the holy scriptures of other faiths, the national anthem and a one-minute silence in memory of fellow selected candidates who died while waiting to join their jobs.
Many protesters wore red headbands, carried banners and placards, and chanted slogans demanding immediate appointment and posting.
The notification, signed by Deputy Secretary Rajib Kumar Sarkar, said appointment letters would be issued in due course.
On Saturday, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Md Sakhawat Hossain said the appointments had been delayed because of investigations and procedural complications. He had announced that the selected candidates would join on 29 October before the ministry revised the schedule the following day.
The written (MCQ) examination for recruiting assistant teachers in government primary schools was held on 9 January in 61 districts, excluding the three hill districts. A total of 69,265 candidates qualified for viva voce examinations, and the ministry published the final results on 8 February, selecting 14,384 candidates.
