Education ministry, univ teachers enter talks over pension scheme

The Ministry of Education began discussions today with university teachers regarding the benefits of the Universal Pension Scheme, with Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury expressing optimism that the outcome will be "fruitful".

The meeting took place in the ministry's conference room at the Secretariat and included leaders from the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association.

"We are meeting with the teachers for the benefit of the students and the advancement of education. This is just the beginning of our discussions, and we hope they will lead to a fruitful decision," said the Education Minister.

He added, "There is nothing to share with the media about the talks at this moment. The discussion will take some time, and we will provide updates once it is concluded."

Regarding the student protests and subsequent violence in the country, the Education Minister stated, "A difficult period is ongoing. Students were brutally killed, but the Prime Minister has managed to bring the situation under control with the assistance of law enforcement and the army."

He continued, "Reactionary radical militants attempted to exploit the situation for their gain, but the government has successfully thwarted their efforts."

Aktarul Islam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association, said, "The country is in a critical state. We thank the Prime Minister for arranging discussions with teachers even during these challenging times."

He emphasised that national interests come first and called for unity to resist conspiracies both domestically and internationally.

The government launched the Universal Pension Scheme on 17 August last year, initially offering four schemes. Subsequently, a new scheme called Prottoy was introduced for employees of self-governing, autonomous, state-owned institutions, including university teachers.

Initially, it was announced that the Prottoy scheme would take effect for new hires in these institutions starting 1 July of this year.

However, university teachers objected to this scheme and organised nationwide protests against it. In response, the National Pension Authority suspended the scheme for one year.

Despite this, university teachers continued their agitation. Consequently, the government has resumed negotiations with the teachers.

Also present at the meeting were Kamal Abdul Nasser Chowdhury, the Prime Minister's adviser on education and culture; Nurul Islam Nahid; Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Majumdar; and Kabirul Ezdani Khan, Executive Chairman of the National Pension Authority.

Among the teachers attending the meeting were Zeenat Huda, Secretary General of the University Teachers Association Federation; Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, President of the Dhaka University Teachers Association; and Mizanur Rahman, President of the BUET Teachers Association, among others.