DU Correspondent :
Teachers at public universities nationwide have erupted in protest against their inclusion in the Universal Pension Scheme (UPS), demanding the cancellation of the Finance Ministry’s notification.
Terming the pension scheme as discriminatory, educators from various public universities, including the four autonomous institutions—Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, and Chittagong University—staged human chains and protests on Sunday.
The protests were organized under the respective teachers’ associations as part of a pre-scheduled program by the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA).
At Dhaka University, the Teachers Association (DUTA) held a human chain in front of the university’s Oporajeyo Bangla on Sunday morning, warning that harsher protests would follow if their demands are not met.
This protest was reportedly held simultaneously at 35 universities across the country.
Speakers at the DUTA protest included President Prof. Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, General Secretary Zeenat Huda, Joint Secretary Mizanur Rahman, Dean of the Arts Faculty Md. Samad, and Dean of the Science Faculty Prof. Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan.
In a written statement, the DUTA leadership announced that if the universal pension scheme, named ‘Prottoy,’ is not canceled by today, they will observe a strike from 10 am to 12 pm on May 28.
“If our demand is not fulfilled, we will appeal to the Chancellor of the university and President Shahabuddin, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Naufel with a memorandum, and we will observe a half-hour strike on June 4,” they declared.
They also warned that if the notification is implemented from July 1, following the June budget, all university classes will be halted.”Teachers will be deprived of many benefits if the universal pension scheme is implemented in public universities. As a result, teachers across the country are in a ‘fight to the death’ against this scheme,” stated DUTA President Prof. Nizamul Hoque Bhuiyan.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Samad remarked, “When we are trying to focus on academia, they drag us onto the highway. We don’t want to abandon our academic work, research, and students.
“The Finance Ministry’s notification on March 13 stated that all officers and employees joining the service of autonomous, self-governing, nationalized, statutory, or similar organizations and their subordinate institutions on or after July 1, 2024, would be included in the universal pension scheme.