Tuesday, 21 October, 2025
Four teachers participating in a hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar fell ill on Monday, organisers said, as the protest by MPO-listed staff over benefits entered another tense day.
The teachers are among demonstrators demanding a 20% house-rent allowance, a Tk 1,500 monthly medical allowance, and a 75% festival bonus for non-teaching staff. The sit-in, led by the Alliance for Nationalisation of MPO-Listed Education and the Bangladesh Madrasa Teachers and Employees Forum, has been ongoing for several days at the Shaheed Minar.
Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member-secretary of the alliance, confirmed the illnesses but vowed that the strike would continue until formal government orders addressed all three demands. He highlighted Sunday’s “hungry march” towards the Ministry of Education as part of the ongoing protest programme.
The government has proposed raising the house-rent allowance by 5% of basic pay, with a Tk 2,000 minimum, effective from November 1—an offer protesters have rejected as insufficient. Education Adviser Prof Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar cited fiscal constraints as the reason a higher rate could not be approved at present.
Political figures have begun showing support for the demonstrators. BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie visited the protest camp to express solidarity, while leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad—founder Nurul Haque Nur and general secretary Rashed Khan—were expected to join later on Monday, organisers said.
Protesters argue that many private-sector teachers under the MPO scheme receive far lower housing benefits than their government-school counterparts and are pressing for allowances calculated as a percentage of basic salary to ensure parity over time.
Several participants have reported health complications during the fast, raising concerns from rights groups about further deterioration if the standoff persists. Local media have documented consecutive days of sit-ins and blockades across the capital tied to the campaign, signalling the intensity and scale of the ongoing dispute.
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Four teachers participating in a hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar fell ill on Monday, organisers said, as the protest by MPO-listed staff over benefits entered another tense day.
The teachers are among demonstrators demanding a 20% house-rent allowance, a Tk 1,500 monthly medical allowance, and a 75% festival bonus for non-teaching staff. The sit-in, led by the Alliance for Nationalisation of MPO-Listed Education and the Bangladesh Madrasa Teachers and Employees Forum, has been ongoing for several days at the Shaheed Minar.
Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member-secretary of the alliance, confirmed the illnesses but vowed that the strike would continue until formal government orders addressed all three demands. He highlighted Sunday’s “hungry march” towards the Ministry of Education as part of the ongoing protest programme.
The government has proposed raising the house-rent allowance by 5% of basic pay, with a Tk 2,000 minimum, effective from November 1—an offer protesters have rejected as insufficient. Education Adviser Prof Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar cited fiscal constraints as the reason a higher rate could not be approved at present.
Political figures have begun showing support for the demonstrators. BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie visited the protest camp to express solidarity, while leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad—founder Nurul Haque Nur and general secretary Rashed Khan—were expected to join later on Monday, organisers said.
Protesters argue that many private-sector teachers under the MPO scheme receive far lower housing benefits than their government-school counterparts and are pressing for allowances calculated as a percentage of basic salary to ensure parity over time.
Several participants have reported health complications during the fast, raising concerns from rights groups about further deterioration if the standoff persists. Local media have documented consecutive days of sit-ins and blockades across the capital tied to the campaign, signalling the intensity and scale of the ongoing dispute.
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