MPO teachers, employees reject govt's 5% house rent allowance, firm on 20% demand
Our final victory will come when a government notification is issued declaring a 20% house rent allowance, Tk1,500 medical allowance, and 75% festival allowance for the employees, says Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-Listed Education Nationalisation Expectation Alliance
Summary
- Movement enters eighth day
- Newly announced 'hunger strike' starting from Monday
- MPO teachers reject govt's 5% house rent approval, demand 20% instead
- Thousands join 'hunger march' from Shaheed Minar to Shikkha Bhaban carrying empty plates
- Police, BGB block teachers' procession near High Court Mazar
- Over 100 police personnel and six BGB platoons deployed
- BNP's Fakhrul assures teachers of party's full support for their demands
- Finance Ministry says 5% decision made considering "budgetary limitations"
- Protesters call 5% hike a "partial victory"; vow to continue agitation
Teachers and employees of MPO-listed educational institutions have announced an indefinite fast unto death programme starting tomorrow (20 October), after rejecting the government's official notification granting them 5% house rent allowance and demanding a 20% increase instead.
Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-Listed Education Nationalisation Expectation Alliance, made the announcement this evening (19 October) at the High Court Mazar area.
He said, "We will begin a fast unto death programme from tomorrow. All classes, examinations, and administrative activities will remain suspended."
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"We consider today's decision to increase the house rent allowance by 5% as a preliminary victory," he added.
However, Azizi said, "Our final victory will come when a government notification is issued declaring a 20% house rent allowance, Tk1,500 medical allowance, and 75% festival allowance for the employees."
"Without that notification, we will not return to the classroom," he warned.
'Hunger march' blocked by police
Around 3:30pm, thousands of teachers and employees brought a "hunger march" from the Central Shaheed Minar towards the Shikkha Bhaban, carrying empty plates as a symbol of protest.
As the procession advanced through Doel Chattar and approached the High Court Mazar area, law enforcement personnel set up barricades to halt their programme.
More than a hundred police officers and six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed, along with two water cannons and an armoured vehicle.
The teachers and police remained in a standoff at the High Court Mazar intersection till 6pm.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Finance approved a house rent allowance set at 5% of the basic salary or a minimum of Tk2,000 for teachers who have been protesting, a decision the government said was made "considering the existing budgetary limitations".
Azizi, however, dismissed the notification as only a partial victory.
He said, "All our programmes will continue until the government issues notifications for a 20% house rent allowance, Tk1,500 medical allowance, and a 75% festival allowance for employees."
The planned "hunger march" by the teachers, originally scheduled for 12pm today, has been postponed to 3pm. The delay is due to a scheduled meeting between the protesting teachers and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Before starting the march, Azizi mentioned their meeting with the BNP leader, saying, "We presented our demands, and we believe the BNP supports them. Fakhrul assured the teachers of the party's full cooperation in realising their demands."
The demonstrations
The teachers' protests, which began with a continuous sit-in on 12 October and included a black flag march yesterday (18 October), where protestors also demanded the resignation of Education Adviser CR Abrar, chanting "CR Abrar, no longer needed".
The MPO-listed teachers and employees have been protesting on the streets of Dhaka, asserting they will not return to their workplaces until their demands are met.
Protest leader Azizi had said that the number of teachers joining the indefinite strike is increasing every day, and the ongoing work stoppage at all private educational institutions will continue indefinitely.
Who are MPO-listed teachers?
In Bangladesh, MPO-listed teachers are educators employed at private schools and colleges that receive government funding through the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) system.
Under this system, their salaries are paid directly by the government. The Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) oversees their registration and certification.
The latest wave of protests began this month after the finance ministry approved raising the house rent allowance of MPO-listed school and college teachers and staff by Tk500.
Previously, they received Tk1,000 per month; the new rate is Tk1,500.
However, the education ministry had proposed a more substantial change: instead of a flat allowance, house rent should be a percentage of the basic salary, ranging from 5% to 20%, with a minimum of Tk2,000.
For context, there are nearly 4 lakh MPO-listed school and college teachers and staff in Bangladesh.
Previously, they received Tk1,000 per month; the new rate is Tk1,500.
However, the education ministry had proposed a more substantial change: instead of a flat allowance, house rent should be a percentage of the basic salary, ranging from 5% to 20%, with a minimum of Tk2,000.
For context, there are nearly 4 lakh MPO-listed school and college teachers and staff in Bangladesh.
At the current rate, the government spends about Tk470 crore annually on house rent allowance, with Tk357 crore for school teachers and Tk112 crore for college teachers.
Other benefits have also been points of contention. Festival bonuses, previously set at 25% of the basic salary, have recently been raised to 50%, adding an estimated Tk229 crore in annual expenditure.
The teachers' demands
The Alliance for Nationalisation of Education, which is leading the protests, has outlined three key demands:
- House Rent Allowance: 20% of the basic salary
- Medical Allowance: Tk1,500 per month
- Festival Bonus: 75% of the basic salary
The alliance also supports NTRCA candidates who were dropped during the viva voce stage of the 18th NTRCA exam, demanding a review of results and immediate issuance of registration certificates.
Meanwhile, teachers argue that despite promises reportedly from Education Adviser CR Abrar, these benefits have not been officially gazetted. Hence, the ongoing protests are holding.
