EDUCATION
MPO Teachers Call 5% Allowance ‘Insulting’, Vow to Continue Hunger Strike
The Ministry of Finance has approved a 5% house rent allowance for teachers and staff of non-government MPO-listed institutions, setting a minimum payment of Tk 2,000. The decision was announced through a ministry circular issued on Friday (October 17).
According to the circular, the move was made considering the government’s current budget limitations. The new allowance will take effect from November 2025.
However, protesting teachers have rejected the decision, calling it “unacceptable and inadequate.” They announced that their ongoing hunger strike and other protest programs will continue until their demands are met.
Previously, MPO teachers received a flat house rent allowance of Tk 1,000, which was increased to Tk 1,500 on September 30. Under the new formula, most teachers will still receive Tk 2,000 — the minimum threshold — while only principals and vice-principals will receive higher amounts.
Teachers demanding nationalization of MPO-listed institutions remain on hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar.
Teachers from MPO-listed educational institutions have begun a hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, demanding the nationalization of their institutions. The protest started after Friday prayers on 17 October, with over a hundred teachers taking part despite rain.
The demonstrators accused the government of insincerity, claiming it offered to partially fulfill only one of their three key demands. “The government is mocking us,” said Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the Nationalization Demand Alliance. “They agreed to just a quarter of one demand while ignoring the others. Teachers have rejected this proposal.”
Earlier in the morning, teachers gathered at Dhaka University’s TSC before moving to the Shaheed Minar, where they began their hunger strike.
As part of the ongoing movement, the teachers announced plans for a long march toward the Jamuna River on Sunday (19 October). They also urged educators from across the country to join the protest.
Messages circulating on social media have called on teachers nationwide to travel to Dhaka to participate in the sit-in and hunger strike.
The Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Combined Student Alliance has swept the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RAKSU) elections, winning 20 out of 23 posts.
Chief Election Commissioner Professor F. Nazrul Islam announced the results at 8:45 a.m. on Friday at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium on the university campus.
Mostakur Rahman Zahid of the Combined Student Alliance was elected vice president (VP), while Salahuddin Ammar of the Anti-Dominance Unity Panel won the position of general secretary (GS).
Speaking to reporters after the results were announced, Zahid pledged to “work with honesty and dedication to fulfill the students’ verdict.” He added, “Many competent candidates contested in this election. We want to build a better campus together with both winners and those who didn’t win.”
General Secretary-elect Salahuddin Ammar said, “My only mandate is the students, and I will never step beyond that.”
Ammar, who led last year’s anti-discrimination student movement, appeared alongside his mother after the announcement.
“When my term ends in a year,” he said, “I want to be able to proudly say that I have served with dignity. May I never fail in this responsibility.”
Ammar’s mother told reporters, “I raised him with ideals and moral values. I hope he remains loyal to the students’ mandate.”
This year, 20 educational institutions under the Jessore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education saw all their students fail in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination. Last year, the number of such institutions was only seven.
Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Matin, Controller of Examinations of the Jessore Board, confirmed the information on Thursday (16 October). He added that the number of institutions with a 100% pass rate has also dropped—from 13 last year to only five this year.
According to board data, none of the students from 20 colleges in Meherpur, Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jessore, Magura, Kushtia, Jhenaidah, and Narail passed the examination.
In Meherpur’s BNP College, 11 students failed; in Khulna’s Dumuria Model College, 1 student; and in several other institutions, including Kopilmuni Sahachari Vidya Mandir and Adarsha Shikkha Niketan, all candidates were unsuccessful.
The poorest results were recorded at Makrail Karim Kalek Sulaiman Institute in Narail, where all 35 examinees failed.
Education officials noted that the widening disparity in institutional results is concerning, and measures will be taken to identify and improve underperforming schools and colleges.
