Teachers and employees of educational institutions that do not enjoy the non-Monthly Pay Order (MPO) facilities are continuing the indefinite sit-in protest in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka for the second day, demanding nationalisation of all non-MPO institutions and their inclusion in the MPO list.
Several thousand people from non-MPO schools, colleges, madrasas and technical institutions from around the country gathered there, vowing to continue their protest until their demand of inclusion in the MPO list was met.
The protestors said 98% of the educational institutions they represent were under private management.
More than seven thousand organizations, which have over 100,000 employees and teachers, are waiting for MPO inclusion.
Moreover, the organizations’ employees and teachers said that do not get their salaries regularly. They have been demanding inclusion in the MPO list for a long-time. While assurances were made of meeting their demands every time, the government is yet to take any definite measure to end their sufferings.
Golam Mahmudunnabi Dollar, acting president of Federation of Non-MPO Educational Institutions’ Teachers and Employees, said: “We have suspended our programme before due to those assurances. Now, we will not leave the streets without our demands being met.”
He also said if the non-MPO institutions are not brought under MPO, most of them will gradually get shut down – spelling disaster for the country's intermediate and secondary level education.
Professor Binoy Bhushon Roy, general secretary of the organization, said: “We are heading towards an uncertain future. The salaries of the civil servants have doubled but nothing has been done in our regard. Until our demands are met, we will not leave the streets no matter what.”This article was first published on Bangla Tribune
Monday, March 17, 2025
