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Published : 14 Oct 2025, 09:18 PM
Private school and college teachers under the MPO scheme have returned to Central Shaheed Minar, after abandoning plans to march towards the Secretariat following police barricades at the High Court’s Mazar gate.
By 8:15pm on Tuesday, the group was seen moving in organised ranks towards Shaheed Minar, where they announced their night-long sit-in.
Leaders warned that if the government failed to issue a notification fulfilling their demands by Wednesday noon, they would launch a “blockade Shahbagh”.
Delawar Hossain Azizi, secretary of the coalition representing MPO teachers and staff from across the country, outlined the next phase of action at 8pm.
He said, “Since Shaheed Minar is the central hub of our movement, we have decided to stage a sit-in here overnight. If our demands are not met by 12pm tomorrow, we will block Shahbagh intersection…”
He added that if the government remained unresponsive, plans for a “hunger strike” were also on the cards. Leaders appealed to the government to promptly issue the notification to restore teachers to their classes.
Education Advisor CR Abrar was labelled “a failed advisor” by one movement leader. He also warned that teachers would resist any police obstruction if authorities attempted to intervene in protests at Shahbagh on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the coalition had maintained work stoppages at all MPO-affiliated private institutions.
In the afternoon, police diverted marchers from the Press Club to Shaheed Minar. Some teachers resisted, prompting police to deploy multiple stun grenades and carry out baton charges to clear the road.
On Tuesday, the third consecutive day of the coalition’s continuous sit-in, teachers marched from Shaheed Minar towards the Secretariat at 4pm. By 4:30pm, police had blocked the march at the High Court Mazar gate, leading to a standoff between teachers and law enforcement.
The teachers’ demands include:
Increasing basic salaries by 20 percent as house rent allowance
Raising medical allowance for MPO teachers from Tk 500 to Tk 1,500
Raising festival bonuses for MPO staff from 50 percent to 75 percent of the base salary
The government had earlier increased rent allowances by Tk 500 on Sept 30, but the announcement on Oct 5 was rejected by teachers, prompting renewed protests. Subsequent proposals from the finance ministry suggested increases to Tk 2,000–3,000.
Under the national pay scale, MPO teachers receive their base salary along with a Tk 500 monthly medical allowance and a Tk 1,500 house rent allowance.
Festival bonuses, previously at 25 percent of the base salary twice a year, have now been raised to 50 percent following recent government adjustments.
