Secondary Teachers Want Higher Grade Counted From MPO Date, Give Two Months

MPO-enlisted assistant teachers at private secondary schools have demanded that their first higher grade be given by counting service time from the date of MPO enlistment, as is done for madrasa teachers. They have called for the school and college MPO policy to be amended to align it with the madrasa MPO policy.

The demand was made on Thursday at a press conference at the National Press Club organised by the secondary teachers' wing seeking an end to discrimination in higher grades. Teacher leaders said two different policies for school and madrasa assistant teachers working under the same MPO system have created discrimination in access to the higher grade.

Principal Md Main Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Private Teachers and Employees Forum, read out the written statement. He said Clause 11.5 of the Madrasa Education Division's MPO Policy 2026 provides for the higher grade to be given on the basis of the time of first MPO enlistment for assistant teachers.

By contrast, Clause 11.7 of the manpower structure and MPO Policy 2025 for private schools and colleges sets different conditions for the higher grade, so secondary school teachers do not receive the same benefit. Teachers with the same qualifications serving under the same system therefore face discrimination in financial benefits simply because the policy differs by institution type.

The press conference also raised delays in receiving the higher grade because of the Bachelor of Education degree. The written statement said the BEd degree plays an important role in teachers' professional skills and teaching methods. But basing the higher grade on the post-BEd period leaves many teachers waiting longer for the financial benefit.

Six demands were presented in total. They include amending Clause 11.7 of the school and college MPO policy to align it with Clause 11.5 of the madrasa policy, giving the first higher grade by counting service from the MPO enlistment date, and ensuring no teacher faces financial discrimination because of the BEd degree.

The remaining demands are a uniform policy on higher grades for teachers at all MPO-enlisted institutions, a quick start to administrative work to implement the ninth pay scale of 2026, and full festival allowance at the coming Eid-ul-Fitr alongside full house rent and increased medical allowance.

The written statement said memoranda were submitted to the authorities on 12 August, 3 September and 23 September on behalf of teacher organisations. Recipients mentioned included the director general of the Directorate of Education, the senior secretary of the Ministry of Education, the education minister and the prime minister.

The press conference called on the authorities to take effective steps to implement the demands within the next two months. If there is no progress in that time, teacher leaders announced further programmes, including a human chain in front of the National Press Club.

Teacher leaders said the movement is not against any individual or institution. Its purpose is to establish the fair rights of MPO-enlisted assistant teachers at secondary schools and to remove discrimination over the higher grade.

Executive secretary general Md Atiqur Rahman Talukder and teachers from across the country attended the press conference. What remains to be seen is whether the authorities take any effective step on amending the policy within the two-month timeframe.