Teachers from independent ebtedayee madrasas have begun a fast-unto-death after a sustained protest campaign, demanding swift implementation of MPO enlistment and the release of salaries from January 2026 for finally approved teachers.
On Saturday (June 13), they carried out the protest for a sixth day outside the National Press Club in Dhaka, with shrouds draped over their bodies.
The teachers began the fast on Sunday morning under the banner of the Welfare Committee of Grant-Receiving Independent Ebtedayee Madrasa Teachers.
The protest was chaired by the organization’s convener, Maulana Shamsul Haque Ansari, and conducted by its member-secretary, Hafez Maulana Mufti Abdul Hannan Hossain. Also present were the organization’s coordinator, Maulana Sheikh Nazrul Islam Mahbub, Md. Golam Azam, Maulana Abdur Rahman Shahjahan, teachers’ council president Md. Nurunnabi, and secretary-general Md. Shamsul Alam.
The protesting teachers’ leaders said MPO applications were submitted from July 3 to July 10 in line with 2025 guidelines issued through a public notice by the Technical and Madrasa Education Division of the Education Ministry. But although nearly 10 months have passed, no independent ebtedayee madrasa has yet been brought under MPO. They said they would continue the fast until their demands are met.
The teachers’ leaders alleged that although the Education Ministry granted final approval for the release of salaries for teachers appointed to vacant posts, the Directorate of Madrasa Education has not yet released the salary of a single teacher. As a result, about 1,690 teachers have long been living an inhuman life without salary or allowances.
The teachers’ leaders also said that primary-level madrasa education was approved under an ordinance in 1978, and in 1984 the Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board recognized independent ebtedayee madrasas. Allowances for teachers at these madrasas began in 1994, and free textbooks and stipends for students were introduced in 2001.
The teachers said that although the government nationalized 26,193 registered primary schools in 2013, not a single independent ebtedayee madrasa was nationalized or brought under MPO. As a result, teachers at these institutions have long been deprived of job security and financial benefits.
The Welfare Committee of Grant-Receiving Independent Ebtedayee Madrasa Teachers issued a strong demand for the immediate release of grants from January to May 2026 for finally approved teachers, along with swift MPO implementation. The protesters announced they would continue various programs, including a continuous sit-in and strike outside the National Press Club, until their demands are met.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report