Recommended govt pry teachers stage sit-in at Shahbagh

A five-member delegation of candidates who were finally recommended for appointment as assistant teachers at government primary schools but have yet to receive appointment letters returned to Shahbagh on Sunday after failing to meet any official concerned at the Secretariat.

The candidates gathered in front of the Central Library of Dhaka University in the morning and later marched to Shahbagh Police Station, where they staged a sit-in demanding immediate issuance of their appointment letters.

At about 11:00am, the five-member delegation went to the Secretariat to meet officials concerned. However, after failing to secure a meeting, the delegation returned to the protest site of  Shahbagh after 3:00pm.

Protesters continue to demand that appointment letters be issued promptly to all candidates who were finally recommended.

According to them, 14,384 candidates were finally recommended for appointment as assistant teachers. But appointment letters have not yet been issued to about 1,500 of them.

“We were told that we would be able to speak to the secretary of primary education. But they took us around the 14th and 18th floors of the Secretariat. Later, we were told that we would speak to the education minister’s PS, but we could not meet him either. We eventually left,” said a delegation member.

The delay has caused concern among the affected candidates, who have been continuing their protest in Shahbagh area seeking an early resolution.

Meanwhile, a meeting held at the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education discussed the issue of these deprived candidates.

The meeting decided that if any successful candidate does not receive an appointment letter by October 1, the letter will be issued in phases as quickly as possible after the necessary verification and scrutiny.

The protesters, however, continued their sit-in at Shahbagh on Sunday, demanding that the appointment process for all finally recommended candidates be completed without further delay.
In May, the DPE instructed district primary education officials to conduct police verification of the selected candidates, including checks on their previous activities and the authenticity of their documents.