Education Cadre Officers Stage Sit-In at DSHE, Demand Promotion Orders

PNN News Desk | Dhaka

Officers from the 36th, 37th, and 38th batches of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) General Education Cadre have launched a sit-in protest, demanding the immediate issuance of government orders (GOs) approving their promotions. The officers, who allege that they have been denied promotions for years, began the demonstration at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 25, on the premises of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE). They have announced that the protest will continue until the promotion orders are issued.

The officers allege that they have been deprived of promotions for nearly nine years. Meanwhile, officials from other cadres who entered government service during the same period received promotions in 2023. Citing this longstanding disparity, administrative complications, and professional stagnation, the officers said they had been compelled to take to the streets.

The protesters said the current government has undertaken various initiatives to improve the quality of education, expand access to higher education, and make teaching a more attractive profession. They also pointed to positive government measures concerning primary school teachers and teachers at institutions receiving monthly pay order (MPO) benefits.

However, they said many officers in the General Education Cadre, who play an important role in improving the quality of college-level education, have remained without promotions for an extended period. According to them, the situation has negatively affected both their personal and professional lives, diminishing their ability to enjoy occasions such as Eid, Durga Puja, and Teachers' Day.

The officers fear that once the government's announced new pay scale takes effect, they could receive approximately Tk 30,000 less per month in financial benefits than officials from other cadres belonging to the same batches. They believe that this potential financial gap, combined with years of delayed promotions, will further undermine their financial rights, professional status, and motivation.

The protesting officers said meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) were held on September 16, 17, and 21 to consider promotions for eligible and senior officials. However, no government promotion orders have been issued despite those meetings. They questioned why the orders remain pending even after the necessary procedures have been completed and why repeated applications, memorandums, and protests have failed to resolve the problem.

According to the officers, remaining in the same position for years despite meeting the eligibility and seniority requirements has caused social, financial, and psychological harm. They also pointed out that officials from the 49th BCS, who are 13 batches junior to them, are joining the service in the same lecturer position.

The protesters said their intention was not to embarrass the government. However, they had been forced to protest because their longstanding grievances had not been resolved through regular administrative procedures. In their view, promotion is not a favour granted at someone's discretion but a legitimate right determined by the applicable rules, qualifications, and seniority.

The officers said that on October 13, during an induction ceremony for newly appointed 49th BCS officers in Bogura, Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haque Milon, the Minister for Primary and Mass Education, took note of their promotion-related demands and instructed officials to place them on file. News of the initiative in national newspapers raised hopes among officers who had been waiting for promotions. However, they said they were disappointed by the lack of visible progress before the Durga Puja festival.

They also said a proposal to create supernumerary posts had been submitted on January 4, 2026, to resolve the promotion backlog. Although other cadres have received regular promotions and benefited from promotions at multiple levels through the creation of additional posts, the officers alleged that the Education Cadre's prolonged delays have remained unresolved.

Three-point set of demands

The officers announced three demands during the sit-in protest:

1. Immediate issuance of government promotion orders for eligible officers in accordance with the decisions and proceedings of the DPC meetings held on September 16, 17, and 21, 2026.

2. Ensuring promotions for eligible officers in accordance with applicable regulations, qualifications, and seniority, including the associated financial benefits, while establishing a regular, transparent, and time-bound promotion system.

3. Creating the necessary supernumerary posts to resolve the promotion backlog and taking steps to upgrade the professor position in the Education Cadre to Grade 3, following a mechanism similar to that used for the Health Cadre.

The officers have announced that they will continue their sit-in on the DSHE premises until the government issues the promotion orders and addresses their demands.