Shawdesh Desk:

Academic and administrative activities at public universities across Bangladesh remained halted on Sunday as the indefinite strike by teachers protesting at the Prattay pension scheme entered its fifth consecutive day.

Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, secretary general of the University Teachers Association Federation and president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, emphasised their commitment to the protest.

Teachers would continue their movement until their demands were met, he told UNBs Dhaka University correspondent.

Criticising the Universal Pension Scheme, Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan described it as discriminatory.

This pension scheme facilitates some people while depriving others. It is an affront to the teachers dignity and has forced them to seriously reconsider their financial futures, he said.

New Age Rajshahi correspondent reported that teachers, officials, and employees of Rajshahi University and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology on Sunday continued their complete work abstention, boycotting academic activities, including classes and examinations, demanding cancellation of the Prattay scheme.

They also observed a one-hour sit-in programmes on their respective campuses to press home their demands.

Due to the teachers’ strike, no classes and examinations took place on Sunday, confirmed officials of the universities.

However, the administrative work of the universities were carried out to a limited extent, they said.

A scheduled meeting between Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and leaders of the University Teachers Association Federation, planned for last Thursday, was canceled.

Quader, who also serves as the minister for road transport and bridges, said on Sunday that the government was closely monitoring the teachers movement and expressed hope for a swift resolution. He made the remark while speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Dhaka.

The university teachers’ indefinite strike began on July 1.