RAJSHAHI, March 7, (V7N) - Despite approval from the Rajshahi Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, the jobs of 66 wage-based workers remain stalled, leaving them frustrated after decades of service. Some have worked as daily wage staff for over 28 years, earning Tk 750 per day.

On Saturday, worker Monirul Islam Dulal, who had served for 28 years, died of a stroke. Colleagues said he suffered mental stress from the uncertainty over job regularization.

Between 1998 and 2005, the workers were appointed as MLSS class IV staff. In 2014, the High Court ordered their jobs to be regularized within 90 days, but the board appealed. In 2017, the Appellate Division directed recruitment notices to be issued, prioritizing the workers on humanitarian grounds.

After years of delay, the board formed a departmental promotion committee in January. Oral tests were held on January 19–20, and the board meeting on January 27 approved regularization. Workers submitted joining papers on February 15, but their status has not changed.

They allege influential officials are blocking the process to recruit outsiders. Worker Mosaddek Hossain Joni said: “Despite the court order and board approval, our jobs have been stalled due to a vicious cycle.” Another worker, Zakaria Nayan, said Dulal’s death reflected the hardship faced by long-serving staff.

Board Secretary Professor Dr. Shamim Ara Chowdhury said the workers submitted joining papers voluntarily and their jobs are “not being regularized for now.” Board Chairman Professor A.N.M. Mofakhkharul Islam acknowledged internal complications but said the initiative was taken on humanitarian grounds.

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