3500 Teachers Demanding MPO
To end 32 years of discrimination, Honors-Masters teachers have submitted an “Application to the Chief Adviser” through a human chain and the Deputy Commissioner. This protest comes in response to a police attack during their demonstration in front of Dhaka Shiksha Bhaban, as well as to demand MPO (Monthly Pay Order) inclusion through a special order by the Honorable Chief Adviser.
The human chain was organized today, Thursday, at 10 AM at the city’s Zero Point, led by the Bangladesh Private College Honors-Masters Teachers Federation Rajshahi District Committee. Around 3500 regularly employed teachers from private colleges affiliated with the National University participated to press for MPO inclusion, following the recent October 17 protest in Dhaka. Teachers protested the police’s sudden attack on their program in front of Shiksha Bhaban and called for the Chief Adviser’s intervention through the District Commissioner.
Rajshahi District Committee President Md. Sanwar Hossain presided over the program, while General Secretary Md. Alal Hossain conducted it. Teachers from 11 different colleges across the district attended.
During the event, the teacher leaders expressed, “We are non-MPO teachers serving in the Honors-Masters courses of private MPO-affiliated colleges under the National University. Established in 1992 by the BNP government, for the last 32 years, approximately 3500 non-MPO Honors-Masters teachers across 495 private colleges have been deprived of MPO inclusion. This political neglect has left us without salaries or allowances, forcing us to live in extreme hardship amidst skyrocketing commodity prices. We demand our rightful respect.”
The teachers further highlighted that since the establishment of the National University, millions of students from lower and middle-class families have benefited from Honors and Masters degrees from private colleges across the country. Yet, since the previous governments did not include Honors-Masters teachers in the manpower structure, these teachers have remained ineligible for MPO benefits. Moreover, despite their essential role, these non-MPO teachers have received meager wages ranging from 2000 to 10,000 rupees depending on the college. Many colleges stopped paying salaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening the teachers’ situation. Meanwhile, 302 Honors-Masters teachers from newly nationalized colleges were granted MPO status despite not being part of the manpower structure. The teachers demanded an end to these injustices and called for their inclusion in the MPO system.
The teacher leaders also described their long-standing peaceful efforts to attract the government’s attention, which have so far been ignored. From October 15 to October 17, 2024, they held a sit-in and human chain program in front of the Shiksha Bhaban in Dhaka. On October 17, they announced a “March to Yamuna” program scheduled for 4:30 PM. However, law enforcement intervened, preventing their movement, and the teachers were forced to sit on the street. As the Asr prayer was called, the teachers prayed for the health of the Honorable Chief Adviser and the Honorable Education Adviser, who were reportedly unwell. It was during this time that police baton-charged the teachers from behind, hurling tear gas and sound grenades.
Many teachers were injured in the chaos, with images and videos of the incident circulated by various national newspapers and television stations. “We are deeply ashamed of this event,” the teachers stated, strongly condemning and protesting the attack.
Other speakers at the human chain included Md. Mehdi Hasan, Md. Aliullah Rahman Ali, Kajal Kumar Mandal, Md. Jalal Hossain, Md. Sanwar Hossain, and Md. Basar Hossain, alongside leaders from the 11 participating colleges.
