Madrasah teachers to continue protest until gazette issued on job nationalisation
Several hurt as in police action on madrasah teachers’ protest at Shahbag
Teachers of Ebtedayee madrasahs have vowed to continue their movement until the Education Ministry or the Chief Adviser's Office issues an official gazette notification addressing the nationalisation of their jobs.
After a delegation of teachers met with the additional secretary of the Ministry of Education on Sunday (26 January) evening at the Secretariat, Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, chairman of the Ibtedaee Madrasah Teachers Oikyo Jote, announced that the teachers would continue their protest until Monday.
Mokhlesur Rahman said that the additional secretary informed them that the ministry had taken their written demands and planned to discuss the issue further with the Chief Adviser and Education Secretary in the meeting on Monday. Based on those discussions, the government will decide on the matter and inform the representatives of the teachers.
"If no decision is made by the government, we will announce a more rigorous course of action," he added.
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Earlier in the day, several madrasahs teachers were injured as police used water cannons and allegedly charged batons on a procession of them at Shahbagh, demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
A large group of teachers had gathered in front of the National Press Club to press home their six-point demands. They later marched towards the Chief Advisor's Office to submit a memorandum.
"We stopped them at Shahbagh intersection and dispersed them," Shahbagh Police Station OC Khalid Monsur told The Business Standard.
Following the police intervention, the protesters regrouped at the Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka University, where they continued their protest.
When asked about reports of baton charges on the teachers, Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Additional Deputy Commissioner Ramna zone Mir Asaduzzaman denied any knowledge of such incidents, saying, "I don't know any news of charging batons on teachers."
According to the protesters, several teachers were injured, with at least five taking medical treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
