Sohayel mia
Education is the backbone of the nation. The more educated the nation, the more developed that nation. And the importance of primary education is immense in making the nation educated. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to strengthen the foundation of primary education. Because, primary education basically strengthens the foundation of the overall education of the country.How do assistant teachers become third-class employees?
The salary of assistant teachers of PTI-adjacent test schools, who have the same qualification (graduate), same curriculum, same syllabus and work with the same students, is grade 10 (second grade) and the salary of assistant teachers of primary schools is grade 13 (third grade).
Why is there this stepmotherly behavior towards assistant teachers of primary schools? Why will there be a difference in grade between assistants of other departments and primary schools? Just as everyone has equal rights in the sun, it is desirable that everyone has equal rights to salary grades. In our country, primary teachers are third-class employees. This is a great shame. Their grade is 13. And the grade of head teachers is 11. In that case, there is a huge gap between the grade of a secondary school head teacher and the grade of primary school head teachers, even from secondary school assistant teachers!
These teachers have honors-masters qualifications and if someone in the same profession works in a government secondary school, then the evaluation of primary teachers is much lower than that. Because government secondary school teachers are second-class officials.
When the responsibility is given during the election, a primary assistant teacher, despite having two decades of experience and high educational qualifications, becomes a polling officer and a secondary teacher, despite having served for a few years, becomes an assistant presiding officer. Here too, discrimination! Why the salary grade should be different in the education department with the same educational qualification may be a question of crores of taka or whether primary teachers are paid in this grade or not, needs to be considered. Therefore, first of all, the salary grade discrimination must be eliminated. It is important to ensure that whoever comes to serve in the teaching profession from primary to college, gets the same salary with the same educational qualification. Teachers are extremely unhappy that the grade discrimination is not eliminated.
Education researchers say that if this situation continues, it will not be possible to attract talented people to teaching. The truth is that many talented students have come to primary schools as teachers in the last few years. But many of them could not be retained. This is because they have moved to other jobs considering a salary structure that can retain talented people, promotion prospects and other factors. Promotion is a desirable thing in a job.
Everyone wants to get promoted after a certain period of time according to their qualifications and skills. However, promotion in primary schools seems to be a distant dream. Many primary school teachers are deprived of promotion even at the end of their service period.
According to sources published in the media, four lakh primary school teachers have not been promoted in 15 years. The truth is that many talented students have come to primary schools as teachers in the last few years. But many of them could not be retained. This is because they have moved to other jobs considering a salary structure to retain the talented, the possibility of promotion and other factors.
However, the talented are also needed the most in this sector. It is natural that after a teacher joins as an assistant teacher, after a certain period of time, he will be promoted to a higher position according to his qualifications and according to the rules of the department. If it is soft, then the talented will be hopeful. But the reality is different. Therefore, it is necessary to soften the path so that an assistant teacher can go up to the position of assistant education officer and at least education officer.
Although such initiatives have been heard in the past, teachers have been deprived of this for many years. As a result, frustration is increasing day by day, which is a significant reason behind the decline in the quality of education. There is extreme pay disparity among primary teachers. Even if a high school principal gets the sixth grade, primary school principals are subject to a lot of discrimination in terms of status and salary structure.
However, each primary teacher takes 7-8 classes every day. They have less freedom in managing schools. There is also widespread disparity in the salary scale. There is no alternative to the 10th grade to get talented people as primary teachers. We are optimistic that grade disparity in primary schools will be eliminated and light will come.
May humanity win, may the craftsmen of human development win. The interim government is working with conviction to eliminate inequality. The teachers’ demands are reasonable. We hope to meet their reasonable expectations and eliminate the long-standing inequality in primary education.
Sohayel mia
Ex- president of Jagannath University journalist Association
