Annual Exams of 10 Million Primary Students Face Uncertainty

The annual examinations of over 10 million students in government primary schools have fallen into uncertainty. A section of assistant teachers began a full-day work stoppage yesterday, Tuesday, to press home their three-point demand, including fixing the initial salary at the 11th grade. As a result, classes have again been disrupted. With no visible progress from the government despite a long movement, the work stoppage called by the Assistant Teachers’ Unity Council will continue until tomorrow. If the demands are not met, the organisation has also announced a boycott of the annual exams and a continuous hunger strike from 11 December.

Meanwhile, the Primary Teachers’ Demand Implementation Council—formed through the coordination of four organisations—has announced a continuous full-day work stoppage from 30 November if their three-point demand, including 10th grade pay, is not met by 29 November. However, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has made it clear that upgrading from the 13th to the 10th grade is not possible. This has raised concerns over the annual exams scheduled to begin on 8 December in 65,569 primary schools across the country.

The education activities in government primary schools rely heavily on assistant teachers. There are currently 384,981 teachers in 65,569 schools, of whom around 35,000 are head teachers and the rest are assistants. The total number of primary-level students in the country is 19,713,685, of whom 10,985,815—55.73 per cent—study in government primary schools.

Reports show that upgrading assistant teachers to the 10th grade would require an additional government expenditure of about Tk 2,500 crore per year, while implementing the 11th grade would cost an additional Tk 831.91 crore annually. At present, 66,000 SSC- and HSC-qualified teachers are still serving in government primary schools, posing a major barrier to the upgrade. About 22,000 of them will retire within the next four years, while the remaining teachers will take another decade to retire. According to the ministry, the upgrade is not feasible until they retire.

As part of the ongoing movement, a press conference was recently held, demanding proper treatment for teachers injured in the 8 November police attack, compensation and full pension for the family of the deceased teacher Fatema Akhter. Without visible progress, the council warned that a full-day work stoppage would begin on 30 November. The conference, held at the National Press Club, was attended by four of the council’s five conveners—Abul Kashem, Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, Khairun Nahar Lipi, and Anwar Ullah. The other convener, Md Mahbubur Rahman, was absent due to illness.

Speakers stated that the decisions made during a meeting on 10 November with senior officials of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Finance Division would have to be implemented. If no visible progress is made, the work stoppage will continue from 30 November until their demands are met. They added that although teachers would be present at school, they would not conduct exams. If necessary, exams could be held during holidays after the demands are fulfilled.

At the conference, testimonies were shared by the deceased teacher Fatema Akhter’s husband, D M Solaiman, and injured teachers Harunur Rashid, Mosharraf Hossain, Saiful Islam, and Shahidul Islam.

The three-point charter includes upgrading assistant teachers to the 10th grade, resolving complexities in higher grade entitlements, and ensuring 100 per cent departmental promotion. Earlier this month, thousands of teachers staged a three-day sit-in in Dhaka while teachers in 65,000 schools observed a work stoppage.

Following an interim government assurance of implementing the 11th grade, teachers returned to classrooms on 12 November. However, the lack of visible progress has left nearly 350,000 assistant teachers frustrated again. The ministry has clearly stated that the 10th grade is currently not possible.

According to the Directorate of Primary Education, the 1991 regulations allowed female candidates with SSC and male candidates with HSC qualifications to become primary teachers. This group of teachers, still in service, has created complications. It will take another decade for all SSC- and HSC-qualified teachers to retire. Only then will it be possible to ensure that all primary teachers hold graduate degrees.

Khaborwala/TSN