Teachers of non-Monthly Pay Order (MPO) educational institutions started an indefinite sit-in yesterday at the capital’s Central Shaheed Minar to demand their inclusion in the MPO list.
Hundreds of teachers at the sit-in from non-MPO schools, colleges, madrasas from different parts of the country also demanded the government count their service time from their joining date. They also urged the government to not admit any new educational institutions until the pending institutions do not receive the MPO.
The sit-in started around 10am and ended for the day around 5pm. The president of the teachers’ organisation Federation of non-MPO Educational Institutions’ Teachers’ and Employees Md Esharat Ali announced the protest programme would resume from today morning at the same location and go on until the government meets their demands.
At the sit-in, he said that more teachers from across the country would join them from the second day.
“We have been teaching for the last 10 years, but do not receive a salary from the government. We have also been waging protests for five years in slots, but no one has come forward with a solution. Our family members are facing difficult times. It is getting tougher to teach the students in this situation,” he said.
He also alleged that in 2013 the education minister had assured them their demands would be met, but they were not.
On August 31, 2014, the prime minister announced that more than 8,000 non-MPO institutions would be brought under the MPO. She also asked the education minister to prepare a guideline.