Teachers and employees of MPO-enlisted private educational institutions across the country will also receive the benefits of the new national pay scale approved by the Cabinet. A high-level government source informed Prothom Alo of this Tuesday morning.
The Cabinet approved the new pay scale at its meeting on Monday. Later, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani presented details of the salary increases at a press conference.
However, the Cabinet Secretary could not immediately confirm whether MPO-enlisted teachers and employees would come under the new pay structure. Responding to journalists’ questions on the matter, he said, “I cannot say that at this moment. A decision on this matter will come later.”
Against this backdrop, discussions began among MPO-enlisted teachers and employees.
When this correspondent contacted a senior government official on Tuesday morning about the matter, he asked the correspondent to wait for a while and said he would provide information after finding out the details.
Shortly afterwards, he said, “It is 100 per cent certain that MPO-enlisted teachers and employees will also receive the benefits of the new pay structure.”
The government currently provides financial grants towards the salaries and allowances of teachers and employees at private educational institutions under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) system.
These teachers and employees receive 100 per cent of their basic salaries, along with several allowances, including medical allowances.
Last year, the government decided to increase the house-rent allowance for MPO-enlisted teachers and employees to 15 per cent of their basic salaries. Before that, MPO-enlisted teachers and employees had been receiving Tk 1000 per month as house-rent allowance.
More than 600,000 teachers and employees across the country are currently enlisted under the MPO system.
Of them, around 400,000 work under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), nearly 200,000 under the Directorate of Madrasah Education and more than 23,000 under the Directorate of Technical Education.
Educational institutions with higher revenues provide additional payments to teachers and employees beyond the MPO benefits. However, most educational institutions do not have the financial capacity to do so.
Under the new pay scale for government employees, basic salaries will increase by between 100 per cent and 142 per cent, depending on the grade. The new structure will retain the existing 20 grades. The basic salary for the lowest, 20th grade, will rise from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000, while the salary for the highest, first grade, will increase from the current Tk 78,000 to Tk 156,000.
With the new pay structure, MPO-enlisted teachers will now see a significant increase in both their basic salaries and house-rent allowances.
Teachers have different salary grades depending on the level and subject of the school, college or other educational institution where they work. They will receive the benefits of the new pay structure according to the grade in which they currently serve.
Under the new pay structure for government employees, basic salaries will increase by between 100 per cent and 142 per cent, depending on the grade. The new structure will retain the existing 20 grades.
The basic salary for the lowest, 20th grade, will rise from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000, while the salary for the highest, first grade, will increase from the current Tk 78,000 to Tk 156,000.
The government will implement the new pay structure in phases from 1 July this year. It will implement the revised basic salaries in three phases between 1 July this year and 2027. Allowances will take effect simultaneously from 1 January 2028.
According to sources at the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Finance, the government has decided to prioritise employees in grades 10 to 20 when implementing the new pay structure, taking into consideration the needs of lower-income employees.
Under this arrangement, employees in grades 10 to 20 will receive 50 per cent of the increased basic salary during the first six months from July this year.
The second phase will introduce a further 25 per cent from January 2027, while the government will implement the remaining 25 per cent from July 2027 in the third phase.
This means that after receiving a 50 per cent increase in the first phase, employees in these grades will receive a total 75 per cent increase in their revised basic salary after the additional 25 per cent in the second phase.
Once the final 25 per cent is added in the third phase, they will receive the full 100 per cent increase in their revised basic salary. From the following year, 2028, they will receive their salaries and allowances simultaneously.
Meanwhile, employees in grades 1 to 9 will receive 40 per cent of the increased basic salary in the first phase from 1 July this year. The second phase will add a further 30 per cent from 1 January 2027, while the remaining 30 per cent will take effect from 1 July 2027 in the third phase.