‘13th-Grade Salary, 6.5 Taka Tiffin Allowance: How Will Education Survive?’ 

Dhaka University’s (DU) Department of Physics Professor Dr. Md. Kamrul Hassan has voiced deep frustration over the salary structure, dignity crisis, and broader realities facing Bangladesh’s education system, particularly primary teachers.

In a lengthy Facebook post on his verified account on Saturday (November 1), he highlighted the plight of government primary assistant teachers, who remain at the 13th grade—the third tier of the state’s salary scale. Most hold bachelor’s degrees, and many have master’s, yet their basic pay is a mere Tk 11,000. Including house rent, medical allowances, and other benefits, a primary assistant teacher earns around Tk 19,500 monthly under the 2015 scale. “Do you know how much their daily tiffin allowance is? Tk 6.5. Could you even buy a snack for that in 2015 prices?” he asked.

Comparing to police sub-inspectors (10th grade), Prof Mamun noted, “Police SIs and primary head teachers share the 10th grade. But their living standards? Police SIs often own cars and houses, living luxuriously because they self-generate extra income. Teachers can’t. Many resort to private tutoring, but primary teachers rarely get that. So, primary teachers live in abject poverty—the lowest in the world.”

On secondary teachers, he said, “Government secondary teachers start at 11th grade (Tk 12,500 basic) and can rise to 10th (Tk 16,000) via promotions or B.Ed. They can’t bribe for extra pay, but they’ve found a workaround: private tutoring or coaching. This has ruined the country. Teachers neglect classrooms to create demand for coaching, forcing students to study there instead of playing. Parents spend extra time and money, and students resent the hustle. What will they learn? The nation is turning dishonest.”

Advocating for 6% of GDP on education as per UNESCO, Prof Mamun said, “There’s a reason: to pay teachers well, allocate more to schools, so educators stay idealistic. A corrupt teacher spells national doom—Bangladesh is the best example. I hoped this government would do one good thing: root-and-branch education reform. Political governments won’t. If this one acts big, successors can’t undo it.”