Assistant teachers have started an indefinite strike in all government primary schools across the country from Sunday (November 9) to protest against the police attack on Shahbagh and the three-point demands, including the 10th grade. As a result, teaching activities have been stopped in more than 65,000 schools across the country. At the same time, it has been announced to continue the sit-in program at the Central Shaheed Minar.

Shamsuddin Masud, convener of the Primary Assistant Teachers' Organization Oikya Parishad and central president of the Primary School Assistant Teachers' Association, made the announcement at a press conference held at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday (November 8) at around 6 pm.

He said, "We will observe a full-day strike in all primary schools across the country from Sunday to protest the implementation of our demands and the police attack. At the same time, a sit-in program will continue at Shaheed Minar."

Earlier in the afternoon, many teachers were injured when police fired sound grenades, teargas shells and rubber bullets at a teachers' 'pen throwing' program in the capital's Shahbagh.

Shamsuddin Masud said that the police fired rubber bullets at the teachers, and more than a hundred teachers were injured. Many are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

After the incident, teachers left the Shahbagh area and took shelter in the Dhaka University area. Eyewitnesses said that many fell ill after the sound grenade explosion.

The teachers' three-point demands include:
1️. Payment of salary to assistant teachers in the 10th grade.

2. Permanent solution to higher grade complications.

3️. Guarantee of 100% departmental promotion for assistant teachers.

According to the Department of Primary Education, there are 65,567 government primary schools in the country and about 384,000 teachers working in these schools. As a result, teaching activities in these schools have been completely stopped from today due to the strike.

Earlier, on April 24 this year, the government took the initiative to increase the salaries of head teachers from 11th grade to 10th grade and the salaries of teachers in 13th grade to 12th grade. But this move led to protests by assistant teachers, alleging discrimination.

Meanwhile, another section of assistant teachers, under the banner of 'Primary Assistant Teachers' Organization Oikya Parishad', has given the government a deadline of November 15. The organization has announced a half-day strike on November 23 and 24, a full-day strike on November 25 and 26, and a sit-in program in front of the Department of Primary Education on November 27 if their three demands are not implemented.

They also said that if there is no visible progress by December 11, the teachers will boycott the exams and go on a hunger strike to death.