Private school teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme are set to receive festival bonuses equal to that of employees, according to Local Government Ministry and Youth and Sports Ministry adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Asif Mahmud announced that the festival bonus for MPO-listed teachers would be increased to 50% of their basic salary.
Currently, MPO-listed teachers receive a festival bonus of 25% of their basic salary, while school employees receive 50%. This disparity was introduced through an office order issued on January 22, 2004, and had persisted for two decades.
On January 29, 2024, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury had pledged to eliminate the disparity and increase festival bonuses for both teachers and staff during a meeting of the Swadhinata Madrasa Teachers' Association. However, the move was not implemented before the end of the previous government’s term.
The current interim government's adviser, Asif Mahmud, said the festival bonus for MPO-listed teachers and staff will now be raised to 50% ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
If the new measure is implemented before Eid, it will finally eliminate the long-standing disparity between teachers and employees regarding festival bonuses.