500,000 MPO Teachers Yet to Receive April Salaries

Staff Reporter

As May draws to a close, nearly 500,000 MPO-affiliated teachers and staff of educational institutions across the country have yet to receive their April salaries. The entire process has reportedly stalled due to the illness of the sole designated officer in a department, while higher authorities have failed to implement alternative measures. Teachers dependent on these salaries are now facing financial hardship.

Sources reveal that the Education Management Information System (EMIS) cell under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) is responsible for processing salaries and allowances for MPO beneficiaries. The work has come to a complete halt as Senior System Analyst Khondaker Azizur Rahman, the key official in this cell, is critically ill. With no alternative personnel assigned, the salary disbursement process remains suspended.

Multiple sources indicate that teachers cannot even access necessary information on their EMIS dashboards. Many suspect this may be a tactic to conceal a larger administrative crisis. However, EMIS Programmer Md. Zahir Uddin stated, “Work is still ongoing and will be completed soon.”

Concerned officials, however, confirmed that even if salary bills are prepared, it will take at least another four to five days to reach the banks. As a result, the likelihood of receiving April salaries before May ends appears slim.

Frustrated by the situation, teacher leaders have strongly condemned the administration, stating that the entire system cannot be held hostage due to one official’s illness. They argue that this reflects not just mismanagement but also extreme negligence and deliberate deprivation toward the teaching community.

Sheikh Kawser Ahmed, Chairman of the Teachers and Employees Unity Council and President of the Bangladesh Teachers’ Association, said, “The fate of 500,000 teachers and staff cannot depend on one individual’s health condition. This is sheer discrimination. Administrative complications are being created deliberately to withhold salaries and festival allowances before Eid.”

Sources add that while the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system has been introduced for salary payments—with 189,000 teachers included since January and another 150,000 added gradually—many teachers remain excluded due to discrepancies in NID, name spellings, birth dates, or bank account details, leaving their salaries uncertain.

Private school teachers allege that while government school teachers receive salaries regularly, they continue to face neglect. This disparity has reignited strong demands for nationalization.

Attempts to contact DSHE Director General Prof. Dr. Muhammad Azad Khan and Director (Secondary) M.A.M. Sohel on Tuesday (May 20) morning for comments were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to calls.