Observing teachers, students' movements with great concern: Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said that their party was observing the ongoing movements by the public university teachers and students with a great concern.
Their party has extended support to the teachers' agitation seeking their exclusion from the "Prottoy" scheme of the Universal Pension Scheme and the students' protests against the reinstatement of the freedom fighter quota system in government jobs considering their demands as 'justified', he added.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was speaking at a press briefing at the party chairperson's political office in the capital's Gulshan area.

"We are observing the situation with great concern that all teachers and employees of public universities have abstained from work over the last few days. The government has issued a circular asking to include the teachers and employees of public universities in its Universal Pension Scheme," he said.
"The announcement of incorporating them in the scheme has enraged the teachers and employees. They are now on movement and thus a deadlock-like situation is now prevailing on the campuses. It is a matter of a great concern for the nation," he noted.
"In a real sense, this (Universal Pension Scheme) has opened an window for committing corruption by this bankrupt government," he maintained.
"As the country's economy is not in a good shape now, so the government is trying to realise money illegally from the teachers and others sectors through this pension scheme," he continued.
"It is a tactic of the government to cure its fragile financial sector in the name of the Universal Pension Scheme," he said.
The newly-introduced 'Prattay Scheme' (of the universal pension scheme) is just a new scheme for looting by this financially bankrupt government, he added.
"Considering the prevailing situation, the movements of the public university teachers and employees are logical and deserve to get support," he said.
"We are extending our support to the logical movements of the public university teachers and employees. We are calling upon the government to withdraw this pension scheme (Prattay Scheme)," he added.
He said that it was impossible to sustain as a nation in the present global system based on technology and merits by keeping 6 per cent quota system.
The secretary general of BNP further said that all citizens in the country were equal in the eyes of the Constitution and the existing laws.
He said that quota system couldn't be helpful for flourishing merits in the first, second and third grade government jobs.
He accused the government of engaging in evil efforts to suppress the logical and just movement of the students by using the judiciary.
"There is no alternative to a merit-based state system if we want to survive in this present technology and knowledge based era of the globe. So our opinion is similar to that of the students who are on the movement for quota abolition and their logical demands," he said.
"We (BNP) believe that all attempts to suppress the logical demands of the students on the plea of law and judiciary will be failed," he said.
"We hope the government will accept the students' logical and rational demands without wasting time. We call upon the government to resolve the issue by accepting students' demands," he added.
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