City Desk :
Non-government school teachers, long unpaid, have maintained a 19-day protest outside Dhaka’s National Press Club, urging the government to extend MPO coverage to new institutions.
The teachers said they have received “assurances” from the education ministry but will continue their protest until a clear announcement is made.
The ministry said preparations are under way, including revisions to relevant policies and updates to the application software.
Under the banner of the “Non-MPO Educational Institutions Unity Council”, the protest has been ongoing since Nov 3.
On Thursday, the teachers maintained their demonstration.
Protest leader Munimul Haque said classes will not resume until the government announces the start of MPO applications for new schools.
He said a meeting was held on Tuesday between the education advisor and leaders of several political parties to discuss the teachers’ demands, reports bdnews24.com.
“The ministry has given assurances regarding MPO inclusion, but such promises have been ongoing since 2018,” he added. “Assurances are not enough. We want an official announcement. Until the government issues a written declaration on the inclusion of new institutions, we will continue our protest.
“We will maintain the demonstration at least until an official notice for applications is issued.”
Earlier, when protesting teachers attempted to march towards the Secretariat to present their demands, police blocked them and dispersed the crowd using water cannons and stun grenades.
“Considering the political situation, police have asked us not to announce any strict programmes for now, while discussions with the government are ongoing. We are proceeding with our demonstration accordingly,” Mamunul said.
He also noted that after a 17-day continuous protest during Ramadan, the education advisor and ministry officials had assured teachers of MPO inclusion, but no progress was seen. “Teachers and staff of non-MPO institutions are at a breaking point after long periods without salaries.
“We urge the government to include all recognised non-MPO institutions immediately. Otherwise, we will achieve our demands through continued protest.”
Teachers began sit-ins at the National Press Club on Feb 23 this year demanding MPO inclusion of all recognised non-MPO institutions.
After a 17-day sit-in, they met with the advisor and ministry officials on Mar 12 and temporarily suspended the protest following assurances. The continuous sit-in resumed from Nov 2.
Political leaders have taken an interest in addressing the long-standing demands the teachers.
On Tuesday, leaders from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganosamhati Andolon, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSaD), and several other parties discussed the demands with Education Advisor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar.
Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) is updating the MPO application software for new institutions.
The ministry is also revising the MPO policy, including conditions for new institution inclusion.
Syed AZ Morshed Ali, deputy secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Divison (SHED), told bdnews24.com: “We have initiated revisions of the MPO policy, modifying criteria for new school inclusion. The updated policy has been sent to the finance ministry.
“Once approved, details will be shared publicly.”
He added that BANBEIS has called a technical meeting on Monday to discuss the software update and integration of revised criteria.
The ministry also plans to prioritise technical institutions in the future MPO inclusion process.
