Teachers and staff at MPO-listed private educational institutions nationwide will also receive the benefits of the new national pay structure approved by the cabinet. A senior government source confirmed the information this morning, Tuesday.
The cabinet approved the new pay structure at a meeting yesterday, Monday. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani later detailed the pay increase at a press conference. However, at the time, the cabinet secretary could not immediately say whether MPO-listed teachers and staff would fall under the new pay structure. Responding to a reporter’s question on the matter, he had said: “I can’t say that right now. A decision on this will come later.”
Amid this uncertainty, various discussions began among MPO-listed teachers and staff. When a senior government official was contacted this morning on the matter, he asked this reporter to wait a while, saying he would look into it and get back. A short time later, he said it was now confirmed that MPO-listed teachers and staff would also receive the benefits of the new pay structure.
The new pay structure for government employees retains the existing 20 grades. The lowest, grade 20, basic pay will rise from 8,250 taka to 20,000 taka. The highest, grade 1, set salary will rise from 78,000 taka to 156,000 taka. With the new pay structure’s benefits now extended to them, MPO-listed teachers’ basic pay and house-rent allowance will also rise significantly.
The government currently provides financial grants for the salaries and allowances of teachers and staff at private educational institutions, known as MPO (Monthly Pay Order). These teachers and staff receive the full amount of their basic pay, along with certain allowances including a medical allowance. Last year, a decision was made to set MPO-listed teachers’ and staff’s house-rent allowance at 15 percent of basic pay. Before that, MPO-listed teachers and staff had been receiving a flat 1,000 taka a month in house-rent allowance.
More than 600,000 teachers and staff nationwide are currently MPO-listed. Of these, roughly 400,000 fall under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, roughly 175,000 under the Directorate of Madrasa Education, and more than 23,000 teachers and staff under the Directorate of Technical Education. Institutions with higher income also pay their teachers and staff beyond the MPO amount, but most institutions lack that capacity.
With the new pay structure’s benefits now extended to them, MPO-listed teachers’ basic pay and house-rent allowance will rise significantly. Teacher pay grades vary by the level of the school, college or other institution, and by subject. Employees will receive the new pay structure’s benefits according to whichever grade they currently hold.
Under the new pay structure for government employees, basic pay will rise by 100 to 142 percent depending on grade. The new structure retains the existing 20 grades. The lowest, grade 20, basic pay will rise from 8,250 taka to 20,000 taka, while the highest, grade 1, set salary will rise from 78,000 taka to 156,000 taka. The new pay structure will be implemented in phases starting July 1 this year. Basic pay will be implemented in a total of three phases between July 1 this year and next year, 2027. Allowances will take effect together starting January 1, 2028.
According to Cabinet Division and finance ministry sources, considering lower-income employees, a decision was made to prioritize grade 10 through grade 20 employees in implementing the new pay structure. For these grades, basic pay will rise by 50 percent in the first phase, covering the first six months from July this year. A further 25 percent will be implemented in the second phase from January 2027, and the remaining 25 percent in the third phase from July 2027. This means that after the 50 percent increase in the first phase, employees in these grades will receive a total of 75 percent of the increased basic pay once the second phase’s additional 25 percent is added. With the final phase’s additional 25 percent, they will then receive the full increased basic pay. From the following year, 2028, they will receive both pay and allowances together. Meanwhile, for grade 1 through grade 9 employees, basic pay will rise by 40 percent in the first phase, effective July 1. A further 30 percent will be implemented in the second phase on January 1, 2027, and the remaining 30 percent in the third phase from July 1, 2027.