Bangladesh’s Education Ministry has sent a proposal to the Finance Ministry recommending a 5 to 20 percent increase in house rent allowances for teachers and staff of MPO-listed private educational institutions, depending on the government’s financial capacity. The proposal was confirmed by ministry sources on Wednesday (October 15).

Meanwhile, hundreds of MPO-registered teachers have blocked Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection, demanding a 20 percent house rent hike along with two other benefits — a medical allowance of Tk 1,500 and a 75 percent festival bonus for staff.

Teachers announced the blockade from an ongoing rally at the Central Shaheed Minar before taking to the streets around 2 p.m., halting traffic in the busy intersection. They declared that no teacher would attend classes until their demands were met.

The protests began on Monday after the government’s earlier decision to raise the house rent allowance by only Tk 500 — a move teachers rejected as insufficient. As a result, teaching activities in MPO-affiliated schools and colleges across the country have come to a standstill.

Following the rejection, on October 6, the Education Ministry submitted a revised proposal to the Finance Division recommending that the allowance be increased to at least Tk 2,000–3,000.

Currently, MPO-listed teachers receive a monthly medical allowance of Tk 500, a house rent allowance of Tk 1,000 (including the recent Tk 500 increase), and festival bonuses at 50 percent of their basic salary.

The results of this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will be published on Thursday, October 16, at 10 a.m.

The announcement was made on Monday (October 13) through a press release signed by Professor Dr. Khondoker Ehsanul Kabir, Chairman of the Dhaka Education Board and President of the Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee.

According to the notice, results of the 2025 HSC and equivalent exams under 11 education boards—including Dhaka, Rajshahi, Cumilla, Jashore, Chattogram, Barishal, Sylhet, Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Madrasah, and Technical boards—will be available on education board websites, respective institutions, and via SMS.

Students can check their results online by visiting www.educationboardresults.gov.bd or by sending an SMS to the short code 16222.

Re-scrutiny applications will be accepted from October 17 to October 23, and detailed instructions will be published on the education boards’ websites and national newspapers.

This year, written exams concluded on August 19, and practical exams were held between August 21 and 31. A total of 1,251,111 students participated in the exams under 11 education boards across 2,797 centers nationwide.

Among them, 618,015 were male students and 633,096 female students.

Teachers across Bangladesh have begun an indefinite strike from Monday (October 13), shutting down all MPO-listed schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical institutions. The move comes in protest against police attacks on demonstrating teachers in Dhaka on Sunday.

On October 12, police used batons, water cannons, and sound grenades to disperse protesting teachers near the National Press Club. At least three teachers were injured — Ganapati Hawlader from Pirojpur, Shafiqul Islam Kajol from Kishoreganj, and Akkas Ali from Chandpur — while five others were detained.

Following the clash, some teachers regrouped at the Central Shaheed Minar, where Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO Teachers’ Nationalization Alliance, announced the start of a nationwide indefinite work stoppage from Monday.

“We cannot accept this brutal attack on teachers,” Azizi told reporters. “All MPO-registered institutions will remain closed until our demands are met.”

Teachers have been demanding fair pay, a 20% housing allowance, and inclusion of medical and festival bonuses in their salary structure. Earlier on Sunday, a delegation met officials from the Finance Ministry, who promised action by October 22, but the teachers rejected the assurance, saying they “no longer trust verbal commitments.”

Reports from Kushtia, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Chandpur, and Dhaka confirm that classrooms remain closed as teachers continue their sit-in protests.