Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Police used baton charges and water cannons to disperse protesting teachers of independent Ebtedai madrasas — primary-level institutions under the madrasa board — as they marched towards the Chief Adviser's Office demanding the nationalisation of registered madrasas.
The clash occurred at Shahbagh on Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses reported that hundreds of teachers gathered at the Jatiya Press Club earlier in the day, holding a rally before starting their march towards the Chief Adviser's Office at around 12:30pm.
When the procession, organised under the banner of the "Bangladesh Swatantra Ebtedai Madrasa Shikkhak Oikyojote," reached Shahbagh, they broke through a police barricade near the Shahbagh Police Station. In response, police intervened with batons and water cannons to disperse the group.
Sources at Dhaka Medical College Hospital confirmed that at least five injured teachers had been admitted for treatment following the incident.
Earlier, Mohammad Al-Amin, member secretary of the Independent Ebtedai Madrasa Teachers Unity Movement, had officially announced the program at the Jatiya Press Club on Friday.
Shamsul Alam, convener of the movement implementation committee, explained the teachers’ demands in a written statement:
“In 1984, independent Ebtedai madrasas were registered under the Madrasa Education Board. In 1994, teachers at private primary schools and Ebtedai madrasas were granted a government allowance of Tk500. However, when 26,193 primary schools were nationalized in 2013, 1,519 Ebtedai madrasas were excluded from the process and only given a grant of Tk3,300 per teacher. Despite repeated efforts, we have not received any additional support or recognition.”
