Non-MPO teachers threaten nonstop movement demanding inclusion

A unity of non-MPO teachers calls on the government for the status if it doesn’t want to see them return from Dhaka “as corpses”

Teachers from non-MPO educational institutions have threatened to launch a relentless movement if the government fails to bring all recognised non-MPO institutions under the Monthly Pay Order scheme.

The warning came on Saturday during a sit-in organised in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka by the ‘Combined Non-MPO Unity Council’.

“We have decided that from tomorrow, we will stage our protest wearing burial shrouds,” said Maulana Farhad Hossain Talukder, the central coordinator of the council.

“We want to tell the government -- either grant MPO status, or we will not return from Dhaka. We will return only as corpses.”

Calling on fellow teachers across the country, he urged: “All non-MPO teachers must gather in every lane and alley around the Press Club from Sunday morning. Our backs are against the wall. There is no alternative now to a full-scale movement.”

Criticising the government’s inaction, Farhad noted that June is nearly over with no visible sign of MPO implementation, contrary to earlier promises.

He said the teachers had already issued a 72-hour ultimatum that expired on Wednesday without response.

“We will no longer remain silent. Since the government is not listening, we will now occupy Dhaka’s streets wearing shrouds,” he declared.

More than a hundred teachers gathered in the morning for the protest, which began around 10am. The participants demanded immediate inclusion in the MPO payroll scheme, calling it the most “rational and humane” demand among all ongoing professional movements in the country.

The teachers also said that ensuring salaries for educators in non-MPO institutions must be treated as the state’s top priority.

Talukder announced that the sit-in would continue indefinitely from Saturday night until their demands are met.