Ebtedayee madrasa teachers to get MPO benefits after 40yrs

Staff Reporter :

Teachers of Ebtedayee madrasas – the primary-level educational institutions under the madrasa board – in Bangladesh are finally seeing progress after 40 years, as their long-standing demand is set to be fulfilled. In the first phase, over 6,000 teachers from 1,519 madrasas will be included in the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) system.

Outgoing Education Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on Wednesday signed the proposal for their inclusion, according to sources from the education ministry.

In his farewell speech, Wahiduddin Mahmud hinted at the decision, saying that there had been extreme discrimination between government primary school teachers and Ebtedayee madrasa teachers, despite them following the same curriculum. He emphasised that steps had been taken to address this inequality.

The outgoing education adviser noted that while many Ebtedayee madrasas exist across the country, some operate informally, but several have official registration. These institutions teach subjects like Bangla, English, and Mathematics, similar to government primary schools.

Despite having proper infrastructure and teachers, they were not included in the MPO scheme. However, he confirmed that the process to include them had now been initiated.

Wahiduddin further pointed out the stark disparity between government primary school teachers, who receive full state benefits, and Ebtedayee teachers, who receive only a minimal allowance of around Tk 3,000.

He described this as a severe injustice. He also highlighted that many students from Alia madrasas have built successful careers both in Bangladesh and abroad, excelling in teaching and other professions. Personally, he saw no difference between general education and Alia madrasa education, stating that the existing discrimination would be eliminated through the MPO inclusion.

He acknowledged that due to longstanding complications, it was not possible to include all madrasa teachers in the MPO scheme at once. In the first phase, only registered madrasas would be included, with more institutions being added gradually over time.