Broken backbone: The lives of school teachers in Bangladesh

Abdur Rahman (not his real name), a newly-wed school teacher, rented a small house in the capital for Tk11,000 per month. He teaches at a reputed private school in the capital where each year, hundreds of students pass with GPA 5 grades.

He joined the school several years ago for a Tk10,000 monthly salary; today he earns less than Tk11,000. "They didn't give me a raise in all these years. Whenever I approach them for a raise, they say the school is running on losses, so they cannot give me a raise," Rahman said. 

Except for his colleagues who teach science, maths and English – they can earn extra through private tuition – a majority of the teachers like Rahman do not have much demand in the tuition market. 

So Rahman sells honey online to supplement his income. But selling honey is a seasonal business. 

And ever since he rented a house to accommodate his wife in Dhaka, his expenses have doubled. "I have realised that I cannot afford to keep my wife in Dhaka anymore. I will send her back to the village next month," he said. 

Rahman had always found it difficult to make ends meet on his meagre salary. The pandemic dealt him another blow when the school paid teachers only half their salaries, so he received only Tk5,000 per month during the period. 

The Annual Primary School Census (APSC) 2021, a government study, reported permanent closure of 14,111 of educational institutions during the pandemic, resulting in a decline in the number of teachers by 83,268 and students by 1,461,634 between 2020 and 2021. 

And then, even though the pandemic subsided, the Ukraine war pushed up inflation worldwide. Living costs skyrocketed in Dhaka and other metropolises, and school teachers like Rahman no longer have the capacity to rent houses with the salaries they get. 

However, this has only been the case for private school teachers and the teachers at Monthly Pay Order (MPO) institutions; teachers at government high schools, government primary schools, and universities have been protected from the predicament. 

MPO teachers' grievances 

Tofajjel Hossain, an elderly man, teaches at a high school in Sherpur. He was attending a sit-in protest with a group of teachers in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka demanding the nationalisation of MPO schools and colleges. 

"The price of everything has increased. It is not possible to survive on the salary that we are given. Our assistant teachers get merely Tk12,500 and our salary crosses Tk20,000 only when we are in the last stages of our careers. How can I run my family with this amount?"

"This is why we are protesting here for our institutions to be nationalised and that we be given the honorarium that government school teachers are receiving," Tofajjel said. 

Teachers from different districts were pouring in at the press club for several weeks to stage all-day sit-ins with various demands from January to the first week of April. But their key demand remains the same – raising their salaries and allowances. 

The protesting teachers said that they have been bearing the brunt of rising costs due to poor salaries, but their stories hardly receive due coverage, and their demands are not answered.      

Sources say there are over 500,000 teachers in around 39,000 MPO institutions, including high schools, madrasas, and vocational schools, in Bangladesh, where more than 15 million students study. 

According to the teachers TBS interviewed, these MPO teachers' salary scale (assistant teachers) is Tk12,500. Only the Bachelor of Education holders earn Tk16,000. 

"We are given Tk1,000 as house rent and Tk500 as medical allowance. Imagine, where can you get a place to live at Tk1,000 at present?" Tofajjel Hossain said. 

The government started paying the MPO salaries at Tk50 per month in the 1980s, according to Bangladesh Teachers Association President Nazrul Islam Roni. "In 2003, an assistant teacher would receive Tk2,597 as the monthly salary and [after 20 years] in 2023, they are receiving Tk12,500.

"A teacher who gets such little salaries might somehow manage to survive on lentils and rice in the villages, although grocery prices are surging. But in towns, it is impossible to survive on such salaries," Nazrul added. 

Teachers in government schools with 45% house rent and other allowances draw higher salaries than MPO teachers. They are also entitled to various festival bonuses and other privileges that help boost remuneration. 

Besides, over 100,000 teachers in these MPO institutions get paid solely from students' tuition fees. And there are over 60,000 teachers in private schools and colleges in Bangladesh. 

Rasheda K Chowdhury, educationist, academic and former advisor to a caretaker government, said, "There needs to be a solution. When teachers are out protesting, you have to understand they must have some grievances. Also when the teachers are protesting, students become the victims." 

However, on the question of nationalisation, she said that many of the MPO teachers do not have the required qualifications as their recruitment process was not transparent. "I am not defending the government, but settling this issue requires direct meetings between teachers and the government," she added. 

However, the most tragic of situations are being faced by teachers in private schools and colleges.

Putting food on the table a pipe dream 

Aminur (not his real name) has two children. He lives in Dhaka with his family. 

Like Abdur Rahman mentioned at the beginning, he teaches a subject that does not have high demand for tuition. He has not been able to manage a side gig either. So he runs after the low-paying tuition fees that he is able to get once in a blue moon. And even so, he has to continuously resort to loans to run his family. 

"It is getting increasingly impossible to provide my children the nutrition they badly require at this age," Aminur said. "Food prices are increasing every day. I just don't want to think of the future because I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel." 

A look at food prices justifies his worries. 

Beef now costs around Tk750 per kg, which was around Tk650 last Ramadan. Broiler chicken prices recently rose to Tk280 per kg (currently Tk200-Tk210), which was Tk150 last Ramadan. Cooking oil is Tk190 per litre, up from Tk154 last Ramadan. 

Chickpeas now cost Tk95, up from Tk70 per kg last year, sugar prices have risen to Tk120 per kg from Tk80, and thin rice to Tk85 from Tk60 per kg. A kg of flour now costs Tk60, up from Tk35 last year, and a dozen eggs go for Tk130 to Tk140 from Tk110 last Ramadan. 

"Life was always tough as a teacher, but since Covid-19, the challenges have been exacerbated. They paid us half of our salary even though it was already very low to begin with," Aminur said. 

"I will have to quit this profession, but I don't know what else I can do as well," he added, the helplessness evident in his words. 

Rasheda K Chowdhury termed the situation as "grave injustice". 

Mentioning the lack of discipline and accountability in the sector, she said, "There is guidance for such situations in the national education policy… a national education commission was supposed to be developed. 

"The commission could have overseen this. But the commission has not been set up in even 10 years. Without discipline, an ad hoc education policy won't help," she added. 

Undervalued and underappreciated 

Nazrul Islam Roni said teachers remain undervalued and underappreciated professionals in Bangladesh.  

"Teachers are the backbone of education. But how can you expect standard education keeping the teachers neglected and hungry?" he asked. 

Hinting at the deprivation of the deserved dignity, Nazrul said, "We keep tolerating the repression of the MPO school committees. They fire us if we don't go by their preferences. Around 10,000 teachers have been fired like this." 

"The salary that we get doesn't cover even a month's expenses. We survive on loans. We don't have transfer opportunities. We don't get promotions except by taking new jobs with exams where we often need to bribe the committees," Nazrul said. 

MPO teachers' Eid bonus was introduced back in 2004 – only 25% of their salaries.  But 19 years on, it still remains at 25%. 

"It is very painful," Nazrul said. "When we get only a 25% Eid bonus we cannot help but cry. We cannot purchase decent Eid dresses for our kids. We cannot afford to sacrifice animals during Eid-ul-Adha. Our Eid holidays are miserable."