Police fired a baton charge and a sound grenade at a teachers’ barricade in Shahbagh. Police baton-charged the registered job-seeking and recommended primary school teachers under the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) who had blockaded Shahbagh intersection in the capital. Around 1:45 PM, police fired sound grenades and used water cannons, dispersing the protesters.
Police fired a baton charge: Earlier, at around 1:20 PM on Monday, the teachers blocked the road, halting all vehicular movement through Shahbagh.
On-site observations revealed that the recommended assistant teachers for primary schools were positioned on the left side of Shahbagh intersection, while the registered job seekers under NTRCA were on the right. Police personnel surrounded them, with a water cannon and an armored personnel carrier (APC) stationed under the Shahbagh metro rail station.
GM Yasin, the convener of the NTRCA-registered job-seeking teachers’ council, stated that although NTRCA has recommended candidates for 17 recruitment exams, only five rounds of mass recruitment have been conducted, leaving around 12,000-13,000 qualified teachers facing discrimination. Many registered teachers have passed the exams multiple times but have not received job recommendations, whereas some individuals were appointed without even applying.
The primary school job seekers argue that the cancellation of their recruitment is discriminatory. They claim that the same government initially recommended their appointments but later annulled them, which they consider a betrayal. They demand the immediate reversal of the verdict and the finalization of their appointments.
Earlier, on February 7, the dismissed primary school teachers gathered in front of the National Press Club and later marched to the Chief Advisor’s residence, chanting slogans. A confrontation ensued with the police, who eventually used batons and water cannons to disperse them.
On Thursday, February 6, the High Court annulled the government’s decision to appoint 6,531 assistant teachers in government primary schools across Dhaka and Chattogram divisions.
Previously, on November 19, the High Court had stayed the third-phase recruitment of these 6,531 assistant teachers, citing quota-based appointments as the reason for the order.
On October 31, the final results of the third phase of assistant teacher recruitment for government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions (excluding three hill districts) were published, with 6,531 candidates being selected. The Directorate of Primary Education published the results on its website.
On May 28, the High Court suspended the recruitment process, including the oral exams for assistant teachers in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions (excluding three hill districts), for six months. However, the Appellate Division later overturned the High Court’s stay order, allowing the Directorate of Primary Education to proceed with the oral exams. Meanwhile, the court instructed an investigation into allegations of leaked question papers during the written exam, as reported by the media.
Police fired a baton charge… Police fired a baton charge….Police fired a baton charge
