EBTEDAYEE MADRASA TEACHERS ON HUNGER STRIKE FOR NATIONALISATION ONE DIED

A madrasa teacher named Abdul Mannan died of being sick following demonstration in the cold wave to nationalize their Ebtedayee madrasa. Hundreds of teachers are on hunger strike from January 9. But the Bangladesh government did not tell anything about their demands. From January 1, they have been demonstrating in front of nationa press club in Dhaka.

More than five Hundreds of madrasa teachers, at the demonstration near Jatiya Press Club, vowed to continue demo until Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announces nationalisation of their madrasas.

The agitating teachers under the banner of “Bangladesh Swatantra Ebtedai Madrasa Shikkhak Samity” started the sit-in in front of Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on January 1.

On January 7, they submitted a memorandum to State Minister Keramat Ali in favour of their demand.

According to the memorandum, teachers of the ebtedai madrasas and the registered primary schools started getting Tk 500 as allowances through a government circular in 1994.

Later in 2013, the government elevated the amount to Tk 1,000 of 6,776 teachers of 1,519 madrasas. According to statistics there are 10,000 madrasas and more than 50000 teacher are working . 

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid and state minister for technical and madrassah education Kazi Keramat Ali on Sunday asked the striking ibtedayi madrassah teachers to end their fast-unto-death programme saying that they are unable to meet the demands immediately.

The two ministers said the demand could only be met if the finance ministry allocates necessary funds for nationalising ibtedayi madrassahs. If the the fund is allocated, the ibtedayi madrassahs would be nationalised, the minister told a group of teachers.

The ibtedayi madrassah teachers rejected the call of the two ministers and vowed to continue their hunger strike.