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At a time when students' final exams are just two months away, classes in non-government secondary educational institutions across the country are being badly hampered as thousands of MPO-listed teachers of these intuitions are protesting in Dhaka demanding a hike in their pay and perks. The poor salary structure of teachers and the sheer disparity in salary and other benefits among those in government and non-government institutions as well as MPO-listed and non-MPO teachers has long been a matter of concern. This has not only caused simmering resentment within the teaching community but also triggered frequent protest movements by privately run schools, colleges and madrasha teachers. More often than not, while some teachers take to the streets demanding inclusion in the government's Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme, others call for an increase in the benefits already provided under it.
The latest wave of protests began on October 12, following the government's announcement on October 5, marked as Teachers' Day, of an increase in the monthly house rent allowance for MPO teachers from Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,500. The move has enraged teachers, who had been demanding a house rent allowance equivalent to 20 per cent of their basic salary. Many felt that the meagre increase, announced on a day meant to honour their profession, was in fact an insult for their noble procession, rather than dignifying it.
Since then, thousands of teachers have been protesting in Dhaka, demanding a house rent allowance of 20 per cent of the basic salary, a medical allowance of Tk 1,500 per month, and a festival bonus of 75 per cent of the basic salary. Compared with government teachers, discrimination against MPO-listed teachers is telling. The monthly basic salary of an MPO-listed private assistant teacher is Tk 12,500, while a government teacher earns Tk 16,000.
Moreover, government teachers receive a house rent allowance of 45-50 per cent of their basic salary, while MPO teachers receive just Tk 1,000. Festival bonuses also differ sharply: government teachers receive 100 per cent of their basic salary as festival bonus, whereas private teachers receive only 25 per cent. Medical allowances for government teachers are three times higher than those for MPO teachers.
And then, government teachers receive both gratuity and a monthly pension upon retirement, while MPO-listed teachers are entitled to a one-time gratuity, which in fact is deducted from their own salaries. The saddest part of the story is that, to claim this benefit, teachers often have to wait four to five years and sometimes even bribe corrupt government officials at the education ministry. Meanwhile, the private institutions where they work throughout their entire career provide little to no retirement support, and often send them home empty-handed.
Against this backdrop, the teachers' demands sound logical. However, the question is, if the government further increases its share in the payroll of privately run institutions, will teachers become more dedicated to classroom teaching, or will education in those institutions become less expensive? Therefore, the issue needs to be examined in all its ramifications.
MPO-listed teachers are basically employed at private schools, madrasas or colleges but receive their basic salary directly from government through the MPO system. Reportedly, currently there are about four lakh MPO-listed teachers and staff. But as the number of privately-run educational institutions keeps mushrooming, so does the pressure mount on the government to bring more institutions under the MPO scheme. The MPO enlistment is supposed to be done based on merit following certain criteria such as the number of students, examinees and the pass rate, while the Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) oversees their registration and certification. However, allegations are there that enlistment is often done in a questionable manner under political patronage. The whole system created a vicious cycle of corruption, which needs to be fixed.
Nonetheless, one of the primary objectives of the MPO enlistment of educational institutions, as it appears, is to keep the cost of education low and affordable in private institutions, which serve the majority of students. In reality, however, the cost of education has been steadily rising due to the extensive privatisation of the sector.
In March 2024, the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) published a research report titled "School Education in Bangladesh: Sustainable Recovery in the Post-Pandemic Era." The report revealed that in the first six months of 2023, household education expenses increased by 25 per cent at the primary level and 51 per cent at the secondary level compared to the previous year (2022). The major factors behind this rise were coaching, private tutoring and guidebook purchases.
According to the Ministry of Education's policy (formulated in 2012), no teacher is allowed to tutor students from their own institution. However, they are permitted to teach up to 10 students from other institutions during the day. In reality, though, this rule is rarely followed; instead, teachers often rent houses near their institutions and run coaching businesses openly. Parents also complain that teachers pay more attention to private tutoring than to proper classroom teaching. Allegations that some teachers give lower marks in exams to students who do not take private tutoring from them are nothing new. Besides, a section of teachers, in collusion with publishers and traders, compel students to buy note and guidebooks of particular publications, apparently in exchange for commission.
Worse still, in some private institutions, school authorities run coaching businesses under the guise of 'special care' alongside regular classes. In one MPO-listed school in Dhaka, for instance, students are charged a monthly tuition fee of Tk 1,800, while an additional Tk 3,000 per student is collected each month in the name of special care. The private institutions are expected to be backed by some foundation or endowment, but in reality private education has become a big business in Bangladesh. But even after that why the teachers and staff employed there are not given a decent salary? So, while the government seeks to address the grievances of protesting teachers, it must also find solutions to the rampant commercialisation of education, the booming coaching business and corruption in the education sector.