M M Jasim :
The three-day long work abstention of MPO-listed teachers has paralysed the regular classes, examinations, and office work at all secondary and higher secondary educational institutions across the country.
The teachers and officials stayed away from the work on Sunday, the first day of their three-day programme, demanding nationalisation of all MPO secondary and higher secondary institutions.
There are 37,000 MPO (Monthly Payment Order)-listed schools and colleges in the country where teachers get a part of their salaries from public coffer.
These institutions observed the strike on Sunday in solidarity with several hundred teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions staging a hunger strike for seventh straight day on Sunday in front of the National Press Club. They are on a fast unto death programme, asking for nationalisation of all MPO-listed educational institutions.
The teachers and employees went on the hunger strike under the banner of “Beshorkari Sikkha Jatiyakoron Liaison Forum,” a platform of six organisations of teachers and employees all over the country, from January 15.
The teachers said that the nationalization process, which covers discrimination in terms of salary, leaves, increments, allowances and bonuses, has been pending for over 50 years.
They also said it would not be possible for them to maintain the quality of education without nationalisation of the sector.
The teachers threatened that they would not perform duties during the SSC and HSC examinations if their demand remained unmet.
“We will start to take part in classes as well as all kinds of official activities in our respective institutions after meeting our demands,” said Jasim Uddin, a convener of the forum.
“We took the decision on January 19 for work abstention as we did not get any response to the demand of nationalisation of our institutions from the Prime Minister,” the Convener said. Joint convener of the forum Motiur Rahman Dulal said, a section of the teachers will observe hunger strike in front of the National Press Club and other portion will refrain from taking classes across the country.
“There is no alternative to nationalisation of education system for helping the students grow up as good citizens and ending the wage discrimination among teachers,” he said. “We believe that the Prime Minister will hear our demand and nationalise the education system,” the joint convener said.
Meanwhile, with the demand of nationalisation, their strike rolled into the seventh day yesterday. A total of 85 teachers fell sick while at least 25 of them were hospitalised till Sunday.
Earlier in 2013, several hundred teachers and employees of the MPO-listed non-government schools, colleges and madrasas also observed a sit-in programme demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
