A 40-year old hunger striking non-government primary school teacher died Friday, organizers said Saturday.
The late Zakir Hossain Mallick was assistant teacher of Hatghata Non-government Primary School at Modhukhali, Faridpur.
Zakir had joined indefinite sit in with hundreds of colleagues under the banner of Bangladesh Non-Government Primary Teachers Association on the sidewalk in front of the National Press Club since June 16 to press the demand for nationalization of their schools and their jobs.
From July 3, they began fast unto death to press their demands.
BNGPTA president Mamunur Rashid Khokon was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Saturday after he fell sick.
He told New Age that Zakir died as he fell sick after joining the indefinite hunger strike.
The association organizing secretary ASM Zafar Iqbal said Zakir died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at about 10AM on Friday.
His body was taken to his village home for burial, he added.
He said so far 226 teachers fell sick due to continuous hunger strike under the open sky braving the rains, dusts, mosquito bites and sound pollution.
Zafar said that at least four teachers had been hospitalized due to dengue infection.
The government in 2013 nationalized 26,193 primary schools and regularized the jobs of the teachers across the country, but 4,159 primary schools were left out, the organizers said.
Over 16,000 teachers of these primary schools have been teaching children without salary, they said.