Government primary school assistant teachers have announced a continuous sit-in program demanding three key points, including upgrading their salary scale to the 10th grade. The program will begin on Saturday (8 November) at the Central Shaheed Minar, organized under the banner of ‘Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council’. Newly appointed teachers have also announced to join the movement.
Their three demands are:
-
Upgrading assistant teachers’ salary to the 10th grade,
-
Resolving the higher grade benefits after 10 and 16 years of service, and
-
Ensuring 100% departmental promotions.
According to the organizations, there are currently 384,000 teachers working in more than 65,000 government primary schools across the country. They claim that while several government officials with bachelor’s or equivalent degrees receive 10th grade pay, assistant teachers—despite having bachelor’s degrees and professional training—are kept at the 13th grade, which they describe as unfair and discriminatory.
Leaders of the council stated that repeated discussions with authorities have failed to bring results, leaving them no option but to demonstrate on the streets. The sit-in will continue until the demands are fulfilled.
Meanwhile, another faction of primary teachers has given the government until 15 November to respond. If the demands are not met, they have announced a program of work stoppage from 23–27 November, followed by a hunger strike from 11 December.