MPO-listed teachers give ultimatum to govt until Sunday evening

Teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme have launched a sit-in protest at the Press Club area in the capital, demanding a 20 percent house rent allowance on basic pay among other issues. The area is now packed to capacity. They have issued an ultimatum to the government until Sunday evening, warning that a full-day work stoppage will be observed across all MPO-listed institutions if no gazette notification is issued by Monday.

Principal Delawar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-listed Education Nationalisation Aspiring Alliance, confirmed this. He said if their demands are not met, MPO-listed teachers and employees will begin a full-day work stoppage from Tuesday.

The teachers vowed to continue their agitation until the Finance Ministry issues a circular, with announcements of further actions like work stoppages expected. Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser of the National Citizen Party’s southern region, will join the protest.

Officials from the Education and Finance Ministries said they are positively considering the house rent hike demand and are working diligently to resolve it. Senior officials from both ministries are holding meetings, even outside office hours. However, the ongoing protest in Dhaka has caused some unease among them.

The Education Ministry sent a letter to the Finance Ministry requesting reconsideration of the percentage-based house rent increase. In response, the Finance Division has begun work, but officials could not specify when a new circular might be issued.

An anonymous deputy secretary from the Finance Division told *The Daily Campus* on Saturday afternoon, “We received the letter for reconsidering the percentage-based house rent increase. We need to verify the feasible percentage, as funding sources must also be assessed.”

When asked about the timeline for issuing the new circular, the official added, “This is a policy-level decision. Junior officials like us cannot comment. The circular will be issued with the approval of the Finance Secretary and the Finance Ministry Adviser, which will take some time.”