MPO Teachers Give One-Month Ultimatum for Allowance Hike

Part of the demonstration

The MPO-Registered Education Nationalisation Aspirants’ Alliance has issued a one-month ultimatum to the government to meet their long-standing demands, warning of intensified protests—including strikes and an indefinite sit-in—if no action is taken.

The announcement came on 13 August after a meeting between a 12-member alliance delegation and the Education Adviser and Education Secretary at the Secretariat. Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, Member Secretary of the alliance, said teachers have been staging continuous demonstrations to press for their demands.

If the government fails to act within the deadline, a half-day strike will be held on 14 September, followed by full-day strikes on 15 and 16 September. If there is still no progress by 12 October, teachers will launch an indefinite sit-in in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka.

The teachers’ primary demand is to raise the house rent allowance from the current 50% to 75% of basic salary, in line with rising living costs. The Education Ministry has reportedly acknowledged the demand and sent a proposal to the Finance Ministry for approval.

The ministry has also suggested increasing the house rent allowance by 20% and raising the medical allowance from Tk 500 to Tk 1,000. While welcoming the medical allowance proposal, Azizi stressed that the key priority remains a substantial rise in house rent.

He warned that if the proposal is not formally forwarded to the Finance Ministry within the stipulated time, the alliance will begin new phases of protest.

Officials from the Education Ministry indicated that while they support the demands, full implementation might be delayed due to budgetary constraints. A financial assessment is underway in consultation with the Finance Ministry.

MPO-registered teachers, who serve in government-aided institutions, have long called for parity with fully government-paid teachers in terms of allowances and job security. Their movement has been gaining public attention, with ongoing demonstrations underscoring the gap in benefits.

With the one-month countdown now in motion, pressure is mounting on the government to deliver a meaningful response. While the alliance remains open to discussions, it has made clear its readiness to escalate protests if their demands go unmet.