Don't treat teachers as miscreants
Photo: STAR
We have learnt from news reports that police charged batons and hurled teargas shells on the teachers of non-government schools and colleges demonstrating to press their demand for Monthly Pay Order (MPO) listing of their schools. At least 25 teachers were injured during the incident. This happened when they gathered in front of Jatiya Press Club to besiege Bangladesh Secretariat as part of their agitation programme. We have learnt that as per its electoral pledge, the Awami League government resumed the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) facility in 2010, six years after the annual scheme had been suspended by the then BNP-led alliance government. But due to fund crunch now the government is failing to keep pace with the actual need. Undoubtedly, these teachers are passing their days amid untold hardships. The nation can not think of progressing keeping these teachers in great plight. So the government must remove the disparity among teachers. But what police did in the name of clearing streets is unacceptable. Teachers are not miscreants. Did any of the teachers attacked the police and injured them during the programme? They might have removed the barricade set by the police but it did not justify the police action on the exhausted teachers. What the intolerant policemen did was hooliganism, not professionalism. When will our police understand that beating poor teachers is not heroism at all? ************************************ On 5th October, the front page of The Daily Star carried the picture of a of a middle aged woman schoolteacher in tears. It was shocking to me. It reminds me the sufferings of my mother as she is also a schoolteacher of a non government high school. I know how much hardship a schoolteacher has to undergo to run his/her family. There is no denying the fact that non government school and college teachers are the most neglected section of people though they are involved in a noble profession. However, on 4th October police charged batons on the poor and helpless teachers and lobbed teargas shells at them as if they were criminals and committed terrible crimes. In this incident 25 teachers were injured. But they came with a hope to end their long-standing sufferings. I find no word to condemn this attack on the innocent teachers whose demand to be enlisted for MPO is logical and justified. I can not stand in any way the humiliation of our respected teachers who have laid the foundation of our schooling. Honourable prime minister, please do something for the poor teachers. If you cannot meet their demands, just tell them that and let them go back with dignity and honour. Md. Musfikur Rahman Jony Baneswar, Rajshahi
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