Lecturers Stage Sit-In at DSHE Demanding Promotion Orders, Vow to Stay Until GO Is Issued

Lecturers of the BCS (General Education) cadre are staging a sit-in at the premises of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) in the capital, demanding that the government order (GO) for their promotions be issued. The officers, from the 36th, 37th and 38th BCS batches, say the programme will continue until the GO is issued.

The sit-in began at the DSHE premises at 10am on Sunday. From the very start, the lecturers took a firm stand on their demand, saying they would not leave without a specific assurance from the administration that the GO would be issued.

The officers say a large section of education cadre officials, who play an important role in improving the quality of college-level education, have long been victims of promotion deprivation. Being stuck in the same post for years has created deep frustration in their personal and professional lives.

Their central question is why education cadre officers should remain deprived of promotion for years despite having the qualifications and seniority. They allege that the government order is not being issued even though the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting has been completed. They expressed anger that repeated applications, memoranda and protests have brought no promotion.

Asked about the protest, participating lecturer Zahid Sohel said, “We have long been deprived of our fair promotion. We want freedom from this deprivation.” His words reflect the accumulated frustration of hundreds of officers from the three batches.

Education cadre officers teach at government colleges and carry out examination and various administrative duties. When promotions stall, it is not only a question of pay and allowances; the natural progression and dignity of a career are also at stake. Those concerned believe motivation suffers when promotions do not come for a long time.

The deadlock over promotion from lecturer to assistant professor is not new in the education cadre. Officers have had to take to the streets over promotion demands in the past as well. This time, three batches taking to the field together has given the demand added force.

Although the sit-in has caused some disruption to the DSHE’s normal work, the officers say they had no other path left to realise their demand. They say they cannot accept files remaining stuck after the administrative process has been completed.

The participating officers have said the sit-in will continue until the promotion GO is issued. They have also hinted that the programme could become tougher as time passes.

There was no immediate announcement from the DSHE or the education ministry on the matter. The protesters’ demand is that the GO be issued quickly, implementing the DPC decision without further delay, so that the long-standing deprivation comes to an end.

The education cadre’s sit-in now awaits a decision from the administration. If the GO is issued, the officers will return to their classrooms with renewed energy; if there is further delay, the movement may spread wider.