Staff Reporter :
Leaders of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association on Friday announced for a continuous movement demanding implementation of the 10th grade for the headmasters and 11th grade for the assistant teachers.
According to the programme, primary teachers will observe a human chain programme at the
upazila level across the country on September 19 and another human chain programme in front of the National Press Club and a walkout programme towards the Prime Minister’s office on September 28.
However, if their demands are not accepted then the programme will be followed from October 1, they declared.
President of association Atiqur Rahman Atiq declared these programmes at a press conference organised in the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), while its Secretary Abul Kashem and other leaders were present.
The teachers are aggrieved as the salary discrimination of the government primary school teachers is not ending soon due to the disagreement of the Finance Ministry with the Primary and Mass Education Ministry’s proposal to upgrade the pay scale of the primary teachers.
Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Md Akram-Al-Hossain said, “We decided to send the proposal again. We will have a meeting with the Finance Ministry on September 20 to resolve the pay gap. I urge the teachers to be patient.”
Sources said, trained primary headmasters get 11th grade of the pay scale and untrained headmasters get 12th grade. Primary and Mass Education Ministry proposed 10th grade for the headmasters. Besides trained assistant teachers get 14th grade and untrained assistant teachers get 15th grade. But the Primary Ministry proposed 12th grade for them.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 9, 2014 directed the authorities concerned to give the headteachers of the government primary schools the second-class status (10th grade) and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a gazette notification on the same day.
But the ministry strategically fixed the salary scale to the 11th grade for the trained head teachers and 12th grade for the untrained head teachers, where the other second-class officials were given the 10th grade on that year.
Later some of the primary head teachers filed a writ petition with the High Court division of the Supreme Court seeking necessary orders to this effect in the month of March in 2018.
Following the writ petition, the HC issued a rule on March 5, 2018. After final hearing the High Court on February 25, 2019 asked the government to give salary under the 10th grade to the head teachers of the government primary schools.
As per the order, both the trained and non-trained headmasters of the primary schools will get the salary under the 10th grade from March 9, 2014 as directed by the Prime Minister.
The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury delivered the verdict after hearing a writ petition filed by 45 headmasters, seeking necessary orders to this effect.
Another HC bench on July 7, 2019 issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to include the assistant teachers of the government primary schools in the 11th grade of the national pay-scale.
The High Court bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by 30 assistant teachers of some primary schools.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association on Friday announced for a continuous movement demanding implementation of the 10th grade for the headmasters and 11th grade for the assistant teachers.
According to the programme, primary teachers will observe a human chain programme at the
upazila level across the country on September 19 and another human chain programme in front of the National Press Club and a walkout programme towards the Prime Minister’s office on September 28.
However, if their demands are not accepted then the programme will be followed from October 1, they declared.
President of association Atiqur Rahman Atiq declared these programmes at a press conference organised in the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), while its Secretary Abul Kashem and other leaders were present.
The teachers are aggrieved as the salary discrimination of the government primary school teachers is not ending soon due to the disagreement of the Finance Ministry with the Primary and Mass Education Ministry’s proposal to upgrade the pay scale of the primary teachers.
Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Md Akram-Al-Hossain said, “We decided to send the proposal again. We will have a meeting with the Finance Ministry on September 20 to resolve the pay gap. I urge the teachers to be patient.”
Sources said, trained primary headmasters get 11th grade of the pay scale and untrained headmasters get 12th grade. Primary and Mass Education Ministry proposed 10th grade for the headmasters. Besides trained assistant teachers get 14th grade and untrained assistant teachers get 15th grade. But the Primary Ministry proposed 12th grade for them.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 9, 2014 directed the authorities concerned to give the headteachers of the government primary schools the second-class status (10th grade) and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a gazette notification on the same day.
But the ministry strategically fixed the salary scale to the 11th grade for the trained head teachers and 12th grade for the untrained head teachers, where the other second-class officials were given the 10th grade on that year.
Later some of the primary head teachers filed a writ petition with the High Court division of the Supreme Court seeking necessary orders to this effect in the month of March in 2018.
Following the writ petition, the HC issued a rule on March 5, 2018. After final hearing the High Court on February 25, 2019 asked the government to give salary under the 10th grade to the head teachers of the government primary schools.
As per the order, both the trained and non-trained headmasters of the primary schools will get the salary under the 10th grade from March 9, 2014 as directed by the Prime Minister.
The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Khizir Ahmed Choudhury delivered the verdict after hearing a writ petition filed by 45 headmasters, seeking necessary orders to this effect.
Another HC bench on July 7, 2019 issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to include the assistant teachers of the government primary schools in the 11th grade of the national pay-scale.
The High Court bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by 30 assistant teachers of some primary schools.
