Madrasa teachers allege MPO deprivation
Private college teachers also formed a human chain for monthly payment order registration
A group of madrasa teachers has demanded that the government reconsider its amendment to the Private Educational Institutions (Madrasa) Manpower Structure and MPO Policy-2018. It alleges that general teachers working in madrasas are being deprived of access to monthly payment order (MPO) facilities.
The Bangladesh Madrasa General Teachers Association (BMGTA) placed the demand at a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.
At the press conference, chaired by BMGTA President Zahir Uddin Hawladar, the teachers' representatives expressed their anger and frustration over the allegation that madrasa teachers are being deprived of MPO facilities.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Secretary General of the organisation Mohammad Delwar Hossain presented a five-point proposal for including madrasa teachers in the newly published amendment.
The teachers demanded an end to inequality in the education system through nationalising madrasas at a rate proportional to that of schools and colleges.
They also proposed that the opportunity for everyone to participate in recruitment tests for all administrative posts in madrasas be opened up – through amending the rules on the requirement of educational qualifications and experience.
They further called for maintaining the post of assistant professor in Alim madrasas (higher secondary madrasas), after abolishing the newly created post of senior lecturer.
The BMGTA leaders called for the intervention of the prime minister and the education minister to ensure the inclusion of their proposals in the recently amended policy.
Human chain of private college teachers for MPO registration
In another development, more than 50 teachers formed a human in front of the National Press Club under the banner of the Bangladesh Oppressed Honors-Masters Teachers' Council to press home their demand for the nationalisation of their colleges or enrollment under the monthly payment order (MPO) scheme.
They alleged that no government has registered 5,500 teachers for MPO for 29 years and thus have deprived them of the facility for a long time.
"How can college teachers live with their families receiving an honorarium of just Tk2,000 to Tk7,000 given by their respective colleges?" the demonstrators asked.
In light of this, they called for nationalising private honours colleges, or listing them with the MPO scheme and recruiting manpower in those colleges, by using the special power of the education ministry or the prime minister.
