An announcement made by government primary school teachers to end their work abstention was reversed just an hour later last night, as they decided to continue their protest. Khayrun Nahar Lipi, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, declared the decision before a large gathering of teachers at the Central Shaheed Minar around 10:30pm. Lipi stated that the initial suspension was made due to pressure from authorities but that she was withdrawing it, risking her job, and that the teachers would resume their sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar.
Earlier in the evening, following a meeting at the Secretariat between ministry officials and teacher leaders, Shamsuddin Masud, another movement leader, had announced the suspension of the work abstention after assurances from the government that their demands would be addressed in consultation with the finance ministry. However, the teachers opted to continue their protest despite this assurance.
The nationwide strike by teachers demanding salary increases and promotions resulted in the suspension of classes at 65,567 government primary schools, affecting over 3.83 lakh assistant teachers. The protest was triggered by a police intervention in Shahbagh the previous Saturday, where officers used force to disperse teachers marching from the Central Shaheed Minar, leading to injuries among the demonstrators.
In a separate incident, non-MPO teachers demonstrating in front of the Jatiya Press Club were dispersed by police using water cannons and sound grenades. The teachers had been advocating for the inclusion of their institutions under the Monthly Pay Order scheme since November 2. The attempt by the protesters to march towards the Secretariat around 4:00pm resulted in injuries and some detentions, as reported by witnesses.
Rights organizations, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, denounced the use of force against the teachers, labeling it as a violation of their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. They called for accountability for those responsible, proper medical treatment for the injured, and urged the government to resolve the issue through dialogue.