Primary teachers call off sit-in strike in Shahbagh after government assurance

After the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued a new notification almost a month ahead of schedule, candidates who were finally recommended for the post of assistant teachers in government primary schools have called off their sit-in strike in Shahbagh in the capital. After protesting all day in Shahbagh on Sunday (August 2) morning demanding early joining and promotion, they announced the suspension of the movement, after which they announced a positive decision from the government.
Job seekers from different parts of the country started gathering in front of the National Museum since Sunday morning. The program officially began at around 12:45 pm with recitation of religious scriptures, national anthem and a minute’s silence in memory of their deceased colleagues. The protesters tied red cloths on their heads and shouted slogans demanding early promotion, resulting in traffic being stopped on one side of the road from Shahbagh to TSC. Police barricades and water cannons were deployed to maintain security.
During the movement, a revised notification was issued by the School-2 branch of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education at noon. The notification signed by Deputy Secretary Rajiv Kumar Sarkar said that instead of the previously scheduled October 29, the 14,384 finally selected assistant teachers will join the District Primary Education Office of their respective districts on October 1 and their posting will be completed the next day, October 2.
Earlier on Saturday, Secretary Md. Sakhawat Hossain had said that due to delays due to investigation and procedural formalities, they were supposed to join on October 29, which has been brought forward by a month in Sunday’s new decision. After the ministry’s notification was published on the website, the protesters welcomed the government’s move and officially ended their Shahbag sit-in program.
It is worth noting that on January 9 this year, the written examination for the recruitment of assistant teachers was held in 61 districts of the country, except for three hill districts. The final results were announced on February 8 after the oral examination of 69,265 candidates who passed the written examination, where initially 14,384 candidates were selected. After 175 long days, the uncertainty of their joining finally came to an end.