The National Coordination Committee of Independent Ebtedayee Madrasa Teachers on Sunday warned of intensified protests, including demonstrations while wearing burial shrouds, if their long-standing demands are not met.
Speaking at a press conference held at the National Press Club on Sunday, the leaders of the organisation said they will exhaust all peaceful means to press home their demands, including submitting memorandums and seeking dialogue with relevant authorities.
"But if nothing works, we will be compelled to secure our demands through tougher movements," they said.
The teachers accused bureaucrats during the Awami League regime of deliberately stalling the nationalisation process of the madrasas under the pretext of bureaucratic correspondence.
They demanded that independent Ebtedayee madrasas be nationalised under the same conditions as government primary schools.
Stressing the urgency of completing the nationalisation before the national budget is announced, the teachers warned that they would publish a “white paper” listing the names of officials allegedly obstructing the process. They also stated that these individuals would be labeled as collaborators of the ruling party.
The organisation also announced plans to engage in dialogue with political parties before the budget announcement.
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In 1984, under Section 2 of Ordinance 17, the independent Ebtedayee madrasas received recognition from the Madrasa Board as per the directive of the Ministry of Education. Since then, these institutions have followed the NCTB curriculum from grades one to five, similar to primary schools.
Despite having equivalent qualifications to primary school teachers, independent madrasa teachers received a stipend of TK 500 as per a 1994 circular, said the leaders.
While government primary teachers saw significant pay increases and 26,193 schools were nationalised in 2013, only 1,519 Ebtedayee madrasas were included in a nominal grant scheme.
Currently, head teachers of these madrasas receive a monthly grant of TK 3,500 and assistant teachers TK 3,300, while thousands of similar institutions remain excluded from even this minimal support.