Teachers and employees at private educational institutions covered by the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme will also receive the benefits of the new national pay structure, alongside government employees.
However, while the process of implementing the new pay structure for government employees is already under way, it remains unclear when MPO-listed teachers and employees will receive their salaries under the revised structure.
The Ministry of Finance has issued a circular making the new pay structure effective for government employees from 1 July. They may receive three months’ arrears along with their October salaries. MPO-listed teachers and employees, however, may have to wait longer.
Officials concerned at the Ministry of Education said the Finance Division would issue the order on the matter.
An additional secretary of the Finance Division later told Prothom Alo that it was not yet possible to say when the order would be issued, as the matter involved a process that had to be completed.
The Ministry of Finance has issued a circular making the new pay structure effective for government employees from 1 July. They may receive three months’ arrears along with their October salaries. MPO-listed teachers and employees, however, may have to wait longer.
According to sources familiar with the matter, completing the process to pay MPO-listed teachers and employees under the new structure could take until November or December. However, the timeline will depend on when the Finance Division issues its order and how quickly the subsequent steps are completed.
Basic salaries and allowances to increase under new structure
More than 600,000 teachers and employees across the country are currently covered by the MPO scheme. Of them, around 400,000 are under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, nearly 200,000 under the Directorate of Madrasah Education, and more than 23,000 under the Directorate of Technical Education.
The government provides monthly financial grants to cover the salaries and allowances of teachers and employees at private educational institutions under the MPO scheme. MPO stands for Monthly Pay Order. Those covered by the scheme receive 100 per cent of their basic salaries, along with certain allowances, including medical benefits.
Last year, the government decided to raise the house rent allowance for MPO-listed teachers and employees to 15 per cent of their basic salaries. Previously, they received Tk 1,000 a month as house rent allowance.
Some private educational institutions with substantial independent income provide additional payments to their staff beyond the MPO benefits. Most institutions, however, lack the financial capacity to do so. As a result, the timing of the new pay structure is particularly important for teachers and employees who depend on government grants.
Once the new structure takes effect for them, MPO-listed teachers and employees will receive higher basic salaries and house rent allowances. Salary grades vary according to the level and type of institution, including schools and colleges. Under the revised structure, employees will be paid according to the grades they currently occupy.
For example, lecturers at private colleges will receive basic salaries under Grade 9, the same grade as lecturers at government colleges.
Under the new pay structure for government employees, basic salaries have been increased by between 100 per cent and 142 per cent, depending on the grade. The revised structure retains the existing 20 grades. The basic salary for Grade 20, the lowest grade, has been raised from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000, while the salary for Grade 1, the highest, has increased from Tk 78,000 to Tk 156,000.
The government plans to implement the new pay structure in phases from 1 July this year. Basic salaries are scheduled to be introduced in three phases between 1 July 2026 and 2027, while allowances are planned to take effect simultaneously from 1 January 2028.
However, no specific implementation deadline has been set for MPO-listed teachers and employees. They may therefore have to wait longer to receive their revised salaries and allowances.
Asked about the matter, Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, told Prothom Alo that discussions were under way with the ministry to ensure that MPO-listed teachers and employees could receive their salaries and allowances under the new structure as soon as possible.