BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday warned afresh that a ‘deep conspiracy’ is underway to divert the upcoming national election from its proper course, urging the country’s teachers to remain alert and cautious.
“I would like to tell you that teachers have a very important role in the coming election. You must properly perform your responsibilities in every area. A deep conspiracy has begun to divert the election from its path. Please stay alert to prevent it,” he said while addressing a grand rally of teachers.
The BNP leader said their only goal is to build a prosperous and developed Bangladesh, as dreamt by the party’s founder and late President Ziaur Rahman. “Our path is one, our destination is one to build Bangladesh.”
The Shikkhok-Karmachari Oikya Jote, a platform of BNP-leaning teachers and employees, organised the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital to mark World Teachers’ Day.
The rally was held to press for various demands, including a non-discriminatory education system, increasing the retirement age to 65, bringing non-MPO institutions under the MPO scheme and nationalising the jobs of teachers and employees of private institutions.
Fakhrul said all the key demands of the teachers are already included in BNP’s 31-point reform outline and it will implement those if it returns to power. “We want you to prepare your students to become honest, ethical and ideal citizens so that together we can build a modern and just education system,” he said.
The BNP leader said their party wants to lead the nation towards a democratic transition.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman joined the rally virtually from London with Shikkhok-Karmachari Oikya Jote Chairman Principal Selim Bhuiyan in the chair.
BNP Standing Committee members Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Haq Milon, National University Vice-Chancellor Professor ASM Amanullah and former Dhaka University Pro-VC AFM Yusuf Haider, among others, spoke at the event.
Thousands of teachers and employees from different parts of the country attended the rally.