Assistant teachers from government primary schools across Bangladesh held a mass gathering at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Saturday, pressing for three key demands, including raising their entry-level salary to grade 11.

During the rally, a delegation of teachers traveled in a police vehicle to deliver a memorandum at the residence of Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus in Jamuna. However, they reported receiving no assurances from the government regarding their demands.

The teachers set September 25 as the deadline for authorities to act. If their issues remain unresolved, they announced they will begin an indefinite hunger strike at the Shaheed Minar starting September 26.

The event was organized by the “Assistant Teachers’ Unity Council,” an alliance of six separate associations of primary school teachers. Thousands of teachers from different districts and upazilas attended, filling the entire Shaheed Minar premises. The program began in the morning and concluded in the afternoon with the announcement of the next phase of protests.

Currently, Bangladesh has more than 65,000 government primary schools staffed by nearly 375,000 teachers. Until recently, head teachers held grade 11 positions on the pay scale. Last month, based on a court ruling and recommendations from the “Advisory Committee for the Development of Primary and Non-Formal Education,” the government upgraded head teachers’ salaries to grade 10.

However, assistant teachers continue to remain in grade 13 (starting salary Tk 11,000 plus benefits). The advisory committee also suggested eliminating the “assistant teacher” designation, instead introducing “teacher” as the entry-level post with grade 12 pay, which could later be upgraded to grade 11 after four years of service.

Rejecting that recommendation, the teachers are demanding:

1. A minimum entry pay scale of grade 11 for assistant teachers.

2. Promotion of all assistant teachers to fill vacant head teacher positions.

3. Removal of complications in securing higher-grade benefits at the 10-year and 16-year service marks.

At the rally, teacher leaders including Munir Hossain (chair), Mohammad Shamsuddin Masud, and Shahinur Al Amin addressed the gathering.

Leaders from various political and civil society groups also expressed solidarity. BNP organizing secretary Selim Bhuiyan pledged that if the current government fails to deliver, his party would fulfill the demands if elected. Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Siddiq Ullah Mia vowed to take the issue to court if needed.

Political activist Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolon, told the gathering: “In a country where primary education is not given due importance, the backbone of the education system becomes fragile.”

Others expressing support included ABM Fazlul Karim of the Ideal Teachers’ Federation, Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, and Md. Badiul Kabir of the Bangladesh Secretariat Employees’ Council.