Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said the university teachers will make their decision regarding the ongoing strike after their organisational meeting.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, made the disclosure after a meeting with public university teachers’ delegation, aiming to end the stalemate in universities due to their indefinite strike that started on July 1 protesting the Prottoy pension scheme.
The meeting was held at the Awami League Dhanmondi office in Dhaka.
Quader said he requested the teachers' delegation to withdraw their strike, and clarified that the scheme will become effective from July 1, 2025.
“The prime minister's information in Parliament that the scheme will start from 2024 was wrong. The pension scheme starts from July 1, 2025. We have clarified this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association Dr Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan said, “We have discussed our three points of demand. We will talk to the media after discussing with the Teachers' Federation.”
Awami League joint general secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, and State Minister for Education Shamsun Nahar Chapa were present at the meeting.
Prime Minister's Education and Cultural Affairs Adviser Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was also present.
Earlier, the teachers' meeting with Quader was postponed on July 4.
