On 12 October, MPO-affiliated teachers took to the streets of the National Press Club with several demands, including nationalisation of their jobs, house rent allowance increasing to 20% of their base salary and the festival bonus for non-teaching staff being increased to 75% of their base salary. This led to a violent crackdown against them, with police using water cannons and throwing sound grenades against protestors. This has raised debates about protesting, government response to protesters and the consequences that both bring for the rest of the population.

It is important to contextualise the protests to understand their demands. MPO teachers’ protests for nationalisation go back to 2012, with several more happening since then. Demands for high pay remain a consistent theme, which highlights the fact that the underpayment of teachers has been an issue for a long time, their frustrations running deep as a result. Providing a house rent allowance would provide stability to teachers, unlike the lump sum increases that were given. Furthermore, the teachers claim that the festival bonuses for many staff members are insufficient.

While these are all valid demands, the perspective of the government also needs to be considered. Bangladesh is a relatively poor nation, and that the country already struggles with its resources is the justification given by the government when talking about why they are unable to meet the demands of the teachers immediately. Additionally, the government’s hesitation can also be attributed to their fear of setting a precedent of agreeing to workers’ demands, which might give the green light to more demands or protests in the future.

However, despite the claims of lack of funds, the interim government has come under criticism for proposals of what many would consider overspending. The Ministry of Public Administration proposed buying 300 luxury cars for future ministers and members of parliament, after a similar proposal was already scrapped previously. This shows a jarring level of confidence in the government’s financial capacity, that despite the government supposedly not having enough funds to meet the demands of MPO teachers, they would be able to fund such extravagant expenses for future parliamentarians. However, the finance advisor has confirmed that this move has been halted, and a separate proposal to buy cars for election field officials instead of ministers has been approved.

Aside from the matter of the government’s funding capacity, their response to the protests of MPO teachers has been shocking. The violence of the police against peaceful protestors has been eerily reminiscent of Hasina-era crackdowns and censorship. This follows the violent suppression of Madrasah teachers protesting for nationalisation of their jobs in January and is part of a pattern that has been consistent for a long time – brutally silencing the demands of the working class.

On the other hand, the protestors have also been criticised for causing public inconvenience and disrupting students’ education. The blocking of roads in already-congested Dhaka city is not something citizens can take lightly, especially at the frequency that they are happening.

However, it is important to understand that the demands of these teachers are not new and have been going on for years and years but to no avail. Furthermore, as a country that has protest woven into its very existence, we need to acknowledge that here protests to yield fruits demand sacrifice. The purpose of protest is to put pressure on authorities to capitulate on demands, not merely let demands be known.

We must recognise that people would not willingly put themselves in harm’s way and take to the streets if they saw any better alternative. The July uprising taught us that protest always comes with a cost, but it is a cost that is worth incurring for the sake of a better future. Therefore, in the same way, instead of directing our criticism at teachers for protesting for their valid demands, we should consider directing the criticism at the government for not only being unable to serve its constituents but also resorting to violence to silence them.