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Teachers reject pay offer, more strikes soon in UK

The teacher’s union announced that the government’s offer has been rejected by an “overwhelming” 98% of members in England, after a turnout of 66%…reports Asian Lite News

Schools in England are now facing fresh teachers’ strikes after teachers with the National Education Union (NEU) rejected the government’s pay offer.

The teacher’s union announced on Monday that the offer has been rejected by an “overwhelming” 98 per cent of members in England, after a turnout of 66 per cent.

The NEU had called the offer “insulting” and encouraged its members to reject it.

After a period of intensive talks with unions, the government offered teachers a £1,000 one-off payment for the current school year and an average 4.5 per cent pay rise for staff next year.

Speaking at a NEU conference in Harrogate, joint general secretaries Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney said the offer is “unacceptable” and crucially it is “not fully funded”.

They said: “This resounding rejection of the government’s offer should leave Gillian Keegan in no doubt that she will need to come back to the negotiating table with a much better proposal.

“The offer shows an astounding lack of judgment and understanding of the desperate situation in the education system. We have today written to the education secretary informing her of the next two days of strike action on April 27 and May 2 that NEU teacher members in England will now be taking. These strikes are more than three weeks away; Gillian Keegan can avoid them.”

It comes after schools around the country contended with several days of industrial action in February and March, resulting in the closure of several schools.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged teaching unions and the government to get around the negotiating table.

Sir Keir told LBC: “I am disappointed because I want to see this resolved. Obviously it is back around the negotiating table now but I would urge both sides to compromise and to come to an agreement as quickly as possible.”

The Labour leader added: “Obviously I support their right to take industrial action, it is very important I say that. But I will be clear, I don’t want to see industrial action and that is why I want the government around the table resolving this. It is possible to resolve these disputes, and the sooner the government gets on with that the better.”

The summer term marks the exam and assessment period at schools, however Dr Bousted insisted the strikes will not disrupt GCSEs and A Levels.

She told Sky News: “We are asking all the local districts, and they will do this, to have dispensations for children taking exams in years 11 and year 13.

“We want them in school preparing for their exams and we will make local arrangements to make sure that happens. It will not disrupt the exam work because that is the last thing we want to do.”

She also said more generous offers by the Welsh and Scottish governments would “certainly be a basis for a decent offer” and urged education secretary Gillian Keegan to negotiate to avert fresh industrial action.

She added: “Gillian Keegan needs to stop the bullying tactics, she needs to start reading the room, she needs to start listening to teachers. These are not union barons, it’s not me making members reject this offer, they had a free private vote. They know what they’re rejecting, they know it’s not good enough and crucially they know its not properly funded. They know even this offer if it is paid out either children will have less equipment or there will be fewer support staff in schools.”

The NEU is not the only union which is involved in pay discussions.

Three other unions have also been involved in intensive talks with the government: the NASUWT, Association of School and College Leaders and school leaders’ union NAHT. They are in the process of balloting members on the current offer from the government.

School leaders’ union, the NAHT, is also asking whether members would take industrial action if the pay offer is rejected. NAHT members voted in favour of strike action in January – but turnout was 42%, below the legal requirement of 50%.

Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, from the NEU, also questioned why teachers in England were “worth less” that those in Scotland and Wales. Education is a devolved matter, meaning decisions are made by the separate governments.

In Scotland, the dispute has been resolved after teachers accepted a 7% rise for 2022/23, which will be backdated to April. They have also accepted a 5% rise in April 2023, and a 2% rise in January 2024.

In Wales, the NEU, have agreed on an increased pay offer of 8% for 2022/23, which consists of a 6.5% annual pay rise and a one-off lump sum payment, as well as a 5% pay rise for 2023/24.

But Wales’ school leaders’ union, NAHT Cymru, has rejected the offer and says funding arrangements remain a major concern for school leaders. Members are continuing to take action short of strikes – which includes refusing to attend evening meetings and only responding to calls and emails between 09:00 and 15:00 BST.

In Northern Ireland, five teaching unions in will also strike for a full day on Wednesday 26 April.

ALSO READ-Strike over pay paralyzes rail, air travel in Germany

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Bangladesh India News News

Questions raised over case against Science teacher in Bangladesh

In a case that has shone a harsh spotlight on the right to free expression in Bangladesh, Hriday Chandra Mondal, a Mathematics and Science teacher, was languished in jail for 19 days before getting out on bail on Sunday…writes Sumi Khan



The teacher at Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj Sadar Upazila has been booked for two blasphemy-related offences under the Penal Code, 1860, ostensibly for discussing the distinction between religion and science in the classroom. The teacher is charged with offences under sections 295 and 295A of the Penal Code.

As per experts, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1989 adds an important caveat – a case under these provisions of the criminal law can only be filed with the approval of the government. However, there is no indication that the police has complied with the provision before recording the case.

Prof Mizanur Rahman, the former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, highlighted the need for ‘serious deliberation’ before invoking these particular provisions. That is why the prior approval of the ministry has been mentioned in the procedural law.

On March 20, Hriday was trapped by some colleges who use to sell fake certificates to the students, said another teacher of the school, seeking anonymity.

He had been teaching mathematics and science for the last 22 years.

Human rights activists, legal practitioners, academics point to a ‘procedural impropriety’ on the part of the police, which puts the case under yet more scrutiny.

Smriti Singh, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International said, “It is outrageous that a teacher finds himself behind bars simply for voicing his opinion while teaching a class. Teachers should be free to discuss ideas and opinions of all kinds without fear of reprisals. Hriday must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

This is not the only contention surrounding the controversial case. Lawyers and activists have also questioned the rationale behind denying bail to the teacher, who is behind the bars for more than two weeks.

They believe the detention of a schoolteacher “without regard for the legal process” may have serious implications for the country down the line as it could embolden communal forces. It also sends a worrying signal to teachers and academicians about the concept of “academic freedom” in Bangladesh.

Hriday’s family members are scared. Anita Saha, his domestic help, said, “Last Sunday when I was near the (Hriday’s) house around 1:00 p.m., four-five young men stared at me dead in the eyes. I went inside the house in fear.”

Renuka Hawladar, Hriday’s mother-in-law was harassed by the Islamists. She said, “I was walking on the terrace of our house at 6:00 a.m., when a young man with a brick in his hand addressed me and said, ‘don’t come out of the house’. He then went ahead and verbally abused me. I immediately went back to the house in fear.”

Shrestha Mondal, son of Hriday resumed schooling a day after his father was released from Munshiganj jail. He stopped going to school for 19 days. “Since then, I have been inside the house all day. Not being able to go to school made me quite sad. And my father was also in prison back then,” he said.

“I am not facing any difficulties going to school today (after bail to Hriday). No one is even calling me ‘son of the accused’. None of my friends asked me any questions in that regard.”

Shrestha is a student at the very same school where Hriday teaches.

Shrestha, the student in grade 5, said, “I couldn’t attend my school for 19 days as after the incident students of Classes 6-10 started calling me ‘son of the accused’. After which my mother stopped me from going to school.”

ALSO READ: Secularism vs Pak-backed communalism in Bangladesh

Alauddin Ahmed, the headmaster of the school, spoke to IANS on Monday, about Shrestha attending classes for the first time in a while. “He is a very talented student, as well as son of a talented teacher. His family members were afraid to leave the house after that incident. Now a teacher of the school has been assigned the task. The teacher will make sure to pick him up from home and walk him home after school.”

Munshiganj Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sumon Dev said, “There is no chance in the slightest that the safety of the (Hriday’s) family will be breached. We are monitoring them all the time. Police will not allow any untoward incident to happen with the family.”

Following a bail hearing in the case on Sunday afternoon, Hriday was granted bail and after release, he has sent to Dhaka for treatment.

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Aminul Islam told IANS that section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure makes it clear that a case under the blasphemy provisions can only be filed with the prior permission of the government or the home ministry. Police do not have the unilateral authority to record such a case, he added.

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Books Lite Blogs

Seema Malik unlocks ‘effective leadership’

In this context, she noted that an important step taken by the New Education Policy (NEP) is making school clusters which can go a long way in improving learning standards in schools in rural and remote areas…writes Vishnu Makhijani.

One of the primary factors determining the strong foundation of a nation is effective educational leadership and schools need to adapt to the changing environments “for which we need leaders who can guide and motivate the students and teachers to evolve intellectually, socially and emotionally — in a continuous process,” says Seema Malik, a school teacher for over three decades and author of the path-breaking book “Unlocking Leadership” (Konark).

“Every leader evolves her/his leadership pattern. What we all need to develop as leaders is the nuance that is required to lead everyone to a higher goal of education. When the schools are driven at all times to reach their vision and mission, both the students and the teachers rise to their highest potential,” Malik, who has studied at Cambridge University and has been associated with prestigious institutions like Delhi Public School, Salwan Public School and Cambridge School, told IANS in an interview.

How did the book come about?

“Having been a researcher in the field of education for more than a decade, I was intrigued by a lot of research done by the western countries, in particular, UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA. I noticed a lot of gap about educational research in India which I have addressed in this book. A huge body of research has been used for writing this academic work in a style that is more easily understandable, with due credit given to the authors and researchers,” Malik said.

The main fields of research that have gone into this book are leadership models practiced in schools and what impact they lead to, strategies for school improvement, and moral as well as ethical responsibilities of leaders.

“Most of this research is used in the western democracies, which has led to the higher standards of educational attainment in these countries, for example in OECD countries,” she said.

What are the five main take-aways from this book?

1. Leadership is the single most important factor affecting quality of education in schools.

2. Collaborative and distributed models of leadership builds teams in schools.

3. Teachers are leaders in their own right and it is the responsibility of the school head to give them decision-making powers.

4. Great leaders develop mutuality and reciprocity among various stakeholders in the school to take them all towards achieving the organisational vision.

5. One of the most salient features of any leadership is their sense of moral imperative.

The book is essentially aimed at schools in the private sector. What about schools in the government sector and in the semi-urban and rural areas? How are they to address this issue?

“Schools in the government sector as well as the rural and remote areas need to work on infrastructural development to provide at least the minimum required facilities for learning. The ‘twinning of schools’ has already started taking place where a few government schools are attached with the public schools to develop synergies of operations and develop better systems of assessments. Public schools are involving these less privileged schools in teacher training opportunities,” Malik explained.

In this context, she noted that an important step taken by the New Education Policy (NEP) is making school clusters which can go a long way in improving learning standards in schools in rural and remote areas.

The NEP, she pointed out, also “lays a great emphasis on teacher empowerment through continuous professional development opportunities. It also aims to create national professional standards for teachers. School leaders and teachers are being encouraged now to undertake research in emerging pedagogies for improved learning outcomes. It is time that school education becomes an integral part of public conversation and it should get the focus that it deserves,” Malik elaborated.

What next? What’s her next project?

“I am writing my memoirs of studying in Cambridge University. Life was very different there and every student experiences difficulties in the beginning which slowly ease away. However, as an older and mature student, besides being observant and reflective, my experiences were very different. I learnt a lot there but also saw traces of racism in the society.”

“A University, like any other part of the society is like a reflection of its ethos. There were many positives as well as some negatives that I noticed that left an indelible impression on my mind. However, what I have taken away from there as a student is the rich and intellectual very stimulating culture of learning provided to each student.”

“Cambridge changed my life forever and there are reasons for that, which I am currently writing for my next book. It was sad that such a reputed university of the world could treat a meritorious student so shabbily. Not disclosing much right now, the book would be thought provoking as well as shocking, once read by the people,” Malik concluded.

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