Our Nilphamari Correspondent reports: Teachers of government primary schools in the district have gone on an indefinite strike from Saturday demanding realisation of their 21-point demand including elimination of disparity in wage.

Following the strike, classes are suspended in all the schools and the strikers are holding meetings and processions every day.

The strike is being observed in all the primary schools of six upazilas as two associations, Bangladesh Primary Teachers Association and Bangladesh Government Primary School Teachers Association are involved in the agitation.

Education life of about two lakh primary students has become uncertain due to strike of 2,200 primary school teachers in almost all the 472 primary schools in the district.

However, the district education office claimed that the strike is not being observed in 100 per cent schools in Domar upazila and 30 per cent schools of Kishoreganj, Jaldhaka and Sadar Upazilas. Regular classes are being held in the schools, they claimed.

Meanwhile, all the 26 assistant thana education officers (ATEOs) were asked to intensify their visit to the primary schools and to identify leaders of the agitating teachers in each and every school of all upazilas. They are also making the teachers aware about the code of conduct of government service and its consequence for failure to follow the rule. It has made the primary teachers panicky as well as agitated. They have already protested the measures and staged demonstrations in Kishoreganj and Dimla upazilas.

The district unit of Bangladesh Primary Teachers Association held a meeting at Chourangi intersection yesterday.

While addressing, the president of the association, Habibur Rahman expressed his determination to continue the agitation till realisation of their demands.

General secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar lamented saying that a driver of a government office having less qualification and same seniority gets salary three times higher than that of a primary school teacher. A stenographer gets salary five times higher than that of a primary teacher, he added.

While talking to this correspondent, district primary education officer Akbar Ali Sarker said they have intensified visit to primary schools to improve quality of primary education.

'At present we are observing the situation', he said adding only the higher authorities can take the decision because the strike is countrywide.

However, the school children come to their schools everyday, find the schools locked and finally return to their homes.

A guardian apprehended that if the strike continues then poor children would go back to their previous jobs raising the number of school dropouts.

Our Moulvibazar Correspondent reports: The teachers of government primary schools here yesterday brought out a silent procession in the town to press home their demand.

A meeting was held at the Government Shishu Primary School here. The meeting reviewed the latest situation. Hazi Abdul Awal, president of the district unit of Government Primary Teachers Association presided the meeting. Among others, Saiful Islam, Abdul Basit, Durud Miah and Promot Ranjan Paul spoke on the occasion.

Classes remained suspended in most of the primary schools in the district.

Meanwhile, the steps taken by the district education office has made the teachers panicky.