Private MPO-enlisted teachers and staff will see increases in housing allowances, festival allowances, and medical allowances, announced Wahiduddin Mahmud.
He shared this news during his farewell event at the Ministry of Education's conference room in the secretariat on Wednesday.
Newly appointed Education Adviser CR Abrar (Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar) was also present at the event.
After taking his oath at Bangabhaban at 11am, CR Abrar arrived at the Ministry of Education around 12pm. He was welcomed with flowers by outgoing Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud and senior ministry officials.
During the event, Wahiduddin Mahmud said: “There have been numerous protests regarding teachers’ salaries and allowances. We made a policy decision considering that teachers are not a homogeneous group. There are divisions among them due to varied recruitment and placements."
He added: “The categories differ from before 2005, from 2005 to 2015, and from 2015 onwards. Recruitment exams and processes have been different, leading to distinct demands among them. However, their unified demand is that everyone’s salary and allowances are insufficient.”
He also said: “I personally decided that if we had to make announcements under the pressure of street protests, it would lack balance. While addressing the most powerful demands, we must also consider the backlog of five to six years in the welfare and retirement funds of retired teachers. These funds were deliberately placed in a bank with insufficient funds, and some were moved elsewhere.”
He further added: “Anyway, this backlog of five to six years exists. The welfare and retirement allowances for private MPO-enlisted teachers are the most legitimate demands. But they are not well-organized. Does that make it any less important? I personally believe this should be addressed first.”
The adviser said: “Because of this, I did not rush to fulfil their demands under the pressure of protests. Instead, I assured everyone that we would try to meet as many demands as possible. However, addressing 15 to 20 years of deprivation cannot be accomplished with a budget of just one or two years. This is not easy to convey.”
He stressed that the salaries of teachers and staff at private educational institutions should be equal to those in government institutions. While acknowledging that 15 years of inequality cannot be fixed with just a couple of budgets, he said: “But a start is needed. We are setting that start now.”
He added: “From this year’s Eid-ul-Azha to the next fiscal year’s budget, we will try to increase their festival, entertainment, medical allowances, and housing allowances. I am not making a formal announcement now, but provisions are being made in this and next year’s budgets.”
The adviser further said: “A fund for retirement and welfare allowances has already been partially established this year. It will continue to grow in the upcoming budget. To make it sustainable, it cannot be achieved in one or two budgets but will gradually materialize in the future.”
