Since assuming power on August 8, 2024, the Jamaat-controlled interim government, led by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has faced escalating criticism for its handling of teacher protests, characterised by violent police dispersals rather than dialogue, and systematic mob violence against teachers at various educational institutes.
From mid-October to early November 2025, multiple teacher groupsโrepresenting primary schools, madrasas, and institutions affiliated with the Monthly Pay Order (MPO)โhave demanded reforms, including salary upgrades, allowances, and nationalisation.
These peaceful demonstrations, often involving sit-ins, hunger strikes, and processions, have been met with batons, tear gas, sound grenades, water cannons, and rubber bullets, resulting in hundreds of injuries and detentions. Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have labelled this a “return to authoritarian control.”
These incidents highlight systemic neglect: teachers’ demands stem from stalled reforms, with the Pay Commission and ministries shifting blame. Over 300 injuries and widespread strikes have disrupted education for millions, amid unfulfilled election promises by late 2025. Critics, including industrialists and minority groups, decry the regime’s “neglect” and radical influences, eroding post-revolutionary legitimacy.
No official statements from Chief Adviser Yunus’ office have addressed the violence, fueling calls for accountability. As one report notes, from “students to teachers… demands for justice are met not with discussion, but with water cannons and silence.”
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Below is a chronological summary of key incidents, consolidated to eliminate redundancies.
October 12, 2025: MPO-Affiliated Teachers Assaulted at National Press Club
MPO-affiliated teachers and employees from private schools, colleges, and madrasas protested outside the National Press Club, demanding a 20% rent allowance on basic salary, Tk1,500 medical allowance for all, and a 75% festival allowance for employees.
Around 1:30pm, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam issued an ultimatum to clear the road. Police then baton-charged the crowd, fired sound grenades, and deployed water cannons, detaining several protesters. No serious injuries were immediately reported, but the violence prompted an immediate shift to a nonstop sit-in at Central Shaheed Minar.
In response, Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-Affiliated Education Nationalisation Alliance, announced a nationwide strike starting Monday (October 13) across 30,000 institutions. “We strongly condemn the police attack,” Azizi stated, vowing to continue until notifications are issued. The group rejected further talks, insisting on direct implementation.
October 19, 2025: Escalation in MPO Protests with Nationwide Strike
Building on the October 12 assault, MPO teachers held a black flag procession from Shaheed Minar to Kadam Fountain intersection, joined by over 1,000 participants. About 100 teachers joined a hunger strike, with some falling ill.
Amid ongoing sit-ins and work stoppages nationwide, Azizi announced a symbolic march to the Department of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) on October 20, carrying plates and bowls to highlight allowance demands.
Teachers emphasised the government’s delay in addressing prior assurances, warning of prolonged street actions. “The longer the demands are delayed, the more crises will arise,” Azizi said. DMP officials downplayed the protests, but no further violence was reported this day.
October 30, 2025: Violent Crackdown on Ebtedayi Madrasa Teachers
At least 50 Ebtedayi (primary-level) madrasa teachers from the Independent Ebtedayi Madrasah Teachersโ Unity Alliance were injured when police dispersed a “hunger procession” near the Secretariat on Link Road. The group, fasting in protest, had marched from Jatiya Press Club toward Paltan but breached barricades around 2pm.
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Water cannons and sound grenades were deployed, scattering elderly participants. Dhaka Medical College Hospital treated 50 cases, with leaders claiming over 100 injuries, including 17 serious ones; teacher Keramat suffered severe trauma.
This followed a sit-in since October 13, demanding a five-point charter: phased nationalisation of Ebtedayi madrasas; gazette notification for 1,089 MPO-eligible institutions; MPO application circulars for non-grant madrasas; pre-primary teaching posts; and a separate Ebtedayi education directorate. Despite appeals, the Yunus administration ignored dialogue.
Shahbagh police Inspector Sardar Bulbul justified the action, saying protesters deviated from the route. Ramna Division DC Masud Alam added that most dispersed peacefully.
The incident fits a broader pattern: since 2024, the regime has deployed police, RAB, and army against protests, causing casualties among students, workers, and educators. An injured teacher remarked from his hospital bed: “We taught the children of this revolution. Now the revolution shoots at us.”
November 8-9, 2025: Primary Teachers Assaulted
Over 100 government primary school assistant teachers were injured during a march from Central Shaheed Minar to Shahbagh, protesting for three demands: 10th-grade salary scales (currently denied despite higher qualifications than peers like police sub-inspectors and nurses); higher grades after 10 and 16 years of service; and 100% departmental promotions.
The “pen immersion” programโsymbolically handing pens to officials for notificationsโwas announced from a morning sit-in.
Police halted the 3:30pm march with batons, tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets, targeting hands, legs, and stomachs. Rickshaw puller Md. Alamin was shot and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Patharghata Upazila Teachersโ Association President Md. Asad Alam described the unprovoked attack: “We immersed the pen today…and will return to teach once demands are met.”
Bangladesh Primary School Assistant Teachers Association President Md. Shamsuddin Masud confirmed injuries exceeded 100.
DC Masud Alam claimed leaders agreed to relocate to Shaheed Minar, but “some broke barricades,” necessitating removal. Teachers rejected this, noting prior unfulfilled promises: a Finance Ministry proposal for 11th-grade pay (August 7) was deferred to the Pay Commission, which disclaimed jurisdiction.
In retaliation, Masud announced a full-day strike starting Sunday (November 9) across all primary schools, with continued protests at Shaheed Minar. The movement, backed by groups like Bangladesh Primary Teachers Association (Kasem-Shahin) and (Shahin-Lipi), vows persistence until implementation. A prior hunger strike (suspended October 17) underscores the frustration.
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