Bangladesh Primary School Teachers Initiate Nationwide Strike

In a significant move, teachers across Bangladesh have launched a complete shutdown of all government primary schools, demanding urgent action on their three key issues. Despite previous assurances from the Finance Ministry, educators express frustration over the lack of progress. Their demands include upgrading pay scales and ensuring departmental promotions. The strike follows a series of protests amid economic challenges faced by the country. As teachers refuse to return to classrooms or participate in examinations, the situation highlights the ongoing struggles within the education sector. This article delves into the details of the teachers' demands and the implications of the strike on the education system.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 3, 2025, 15:51 IST

Nationwide Shutdown of Primary Schools

Dhaka, Dec 3: On Wednesday, teachers across Bangladesh commenced a total shutdown of all government primary schools, advocating for their three key demands, as reported by local media.

The educators, rallying under the 'Primary Teachers' Demand Implementation Council', declared the nationwide closure on Tuesday evening, expressing frustration over the lack of progress in fulfilling their requests despite previous commitments from the Finance Ministry under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

"The Finance Ministry assured us that our three demands would be addressed, yet no significant actions have been taken. Consequently, all government primary schools will remain closed starting Wednesday, and we will boycott examinations until our demands are fulfilled," the council stated, as quoted by a prominent newspaper.

"We urge the authorities to swiftly address the valid concerns of assistant teachers, resolve the stagnation in primary education, and enable teachers to return to their classrooms and resume examinations," they added.

The teachers' demands include elevating the pay scale of assistant teachers to grade 10, addressing complexities related to higher grade benefits after 10 and 16 years of service, and ensuring 100% departmental promotion from assistant teacher to head teacher.

Mohammad Shamsuddin, a leader of the platform, announced on his social media account on Wednesday morning that the "complete shutdown or locked-school program will persist until our demands are met."

Last week, primary school teachers had already initiated a three-day work stoppage to highlight their concerns regarding pay grades and promotions.

Shamsuddin Masud, the central president of the Bangladesh Primary School Assistant Teachers' Association, noted that the strike was a collective effort due to the Ministry's lack of visible progress on their demands throughout November.

"One of our colleagues passed away, and several others were injured during police actions earlier this month. We will not attend classes or participate in examinations until the government issues a notification addressing our demands," stated Khayrun Nahar Lipi, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers' Association.

Bangladesh has seen a rise in protests under the Yunus-led interim government as the nation faces economic challenges and worsening working conditions.