Teachers, students, officers and employees of public universities in the country are outraged by two major unpopular issues that include governments proposed Universal Pension Scheme (UPS) and High Court rule on restoration of Freedom Fighters Quota in government jobs.
They have been protesting the two contentious issues since they became headlines.
Protesters warned that they would launch tougher movement in the public universities from July 1 for the withdrawal of both. It is anticipated that in the event of governments rigid stance on the issue might affect academic activities severely.
Teachers of all public universities on Tuesday took a half-day break from work protesting the proposed Universal Pension Scheme, branding it discriminatory and illogical.
Besides, Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association announced that they will take a half-day break from work on June 25, 26 and 27 and full-day on June 30.
If the government does not withdraw the Universal Pension Scheme by this month, teachers of all public universities will go for complete work abstention from July 1, said Association General Secretary Prof Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan.
Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) General Secretary Prof Zinat Huda announced, "No classes and examinations will be held from July 1. All departments will remain closed. House tutors will not go to their respective halls. Directors of Institutes will not go to their offices. Teachers will not hold seminars, symposiums, research programmes and workshops at the universities. All academic and administrative activities will be stopped."
Earlier, the teachers on May 28 took two-hour break from work to press home their demand.
Meanwhile, DU officers and employees also took a two-hour break from work from 11:00am to 1:00pm on Tuesday.
Convener of DU Officer-Employee Oikya Parishad Md Abdul Motaleb told the Daily Observer that they would also take to the street to drum up support for their demand.
The Finance Ministry, in a notification on March 13, announced that all officers and employees, joining the service of autonomous, self-governing, nationalised, statutory or similar organisations and their subordinate institutions on or after July 1, 2024, would be included in the universal pension scheme.
Students of different universities across the country on Thursday protested the High Courts order to reinstate the 30 per cent Freedom Fighters Quota in the first and second class government jobs which was abolished following the Quota Reforms Movement in 2018.
Students from the Dhaka University (DU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Rajshahi University (RU), Chittagong University (CU), and Jagannath University (JnU), held protest programmes on their respective campuses, among others.
The agitating students argued that reinstating the Freedom Fighter Quota would disadvantage meritorious students and called for an immediate abolition of the quota system.
