Teachers' protest continues
TEACHERS from the university to the primary levels have been agitating for over a month. In the background of the World Teachers' Day that was observed yesterday, we feel sorry to see the way teachers at public schools, colleges and universities are treated in the country. Manhandling and physically abusing teachers at educational intuitions by goons belonging to some student organisations have been on the rise. As though these ghastly incidents are not enough, the new pay scale approved this year deprives the teachers of some perks they have been enjoying for a long time.
So grave is their predicament that the teachers have been forced to resort to protests to make home their demands against the eighth pay scale. However, their demands, it seems, have fallen on deaf ears. They are set to abstain from administering admission tests slated to start in two days. The primary school teachers might not take part in the primary terminal examinations this year.
It is indeed surprising that while public servants have witnessed a significant rise in their salary under the new pay scale, teachers, who build the future leaders of our country, have been deprived of some facilities that they had been enjoying.
In its electoral pledge, the Awami League had promised a separate pay scale for the teachers. It is high time that the government came good on that. We earnestly hope that it will sit with the teachers to address their legitimate demands, sooner rather than later.
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