/ Separate pay scale for teachers still not in sight

A separate pay scale for teachers, aimed at ensuring their financial security and respect, remains elusive due to the indifference of successive governments towards this critical issue.
Academics believe that such a pay structure would elevate the teachers’ status in the society, fostering greater respect for the educators.
The National Education Policy 2010 proposed a distinct pay scale for teachers at all educational levels, while the University Grants Commission (UGC)  recommended one for university teachers in 2017 to enhance their financial standing and dignity. However, neither of these proposals has been implemented till date.
In the absence of a separate pay scale, disparities exist between the salaries and benefits of government and non-government teachers, as well as among those under the monthly pay order (MPO) scheme and those outside of it. Many teachers are struggling to make ends meet, according to academics.
Amid this situation, teachers across the country are celebrating the World Teachers’ Day today.
For over two decades, teachers have been calling for a dedicated pay scale, believing it would draw high-achieving students into the profession.
Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury from Dhaka University expressed his disappointment that some teachers are being “disgraced” in various parts of the country.
“To draw talented students into the teaching profession, we must guarantee respect for the educators. This social respect is tied to their status and salaries. To ensure the teachers’ dignity, a distinct pay structure for all educational levels is essential.
“The failure to implement a separate pay scale for teachers stems from the lack of understanding by successive governments regarding its significance. Establishing a distinct pay scale will also help foster apositive relationship between teachers and students,” he said.
According to a count by The Daily Star, more than 150 teachers, ranging from secondary to university levels, have been forced to resign since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime on August 5. Many of them were subjected to humiliation and harassment by some unruly students.
On August 25, Education Adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud said that complaints against specific individuals will be noted and that no one should be compelled to step down.
He stressed the need for maintaining healthy relationships between teachers and students.
In an order released on September 3, the Secondary and Higher Education Division said that forced resignation and harassment of teachers should end immediately.
“It is true that some teachers were against the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. But it is unacceptable for them to be humiliated because of this,” said Serajul Islam.
“A teacher is an educated person who deserves respect. When you strip away that respect, they may feel they are no longer teachers…. These attacks are essentially assaults on the education system, and a teacher’s humiliation is a humiliation for the entire teaching community,” he added.
Veteran teacher leader Mazharul Hannan, also the president of Bangladesh Principals’ Association, said many teachers at non-MPO secondary schools and colleges are struggling financially due to inadequate salaries, often resorting to private tutoring to make ends meet.
“In such circumstances, talented students are disinclined to pursue a career in teaching.”
Mazharul emphasised that implementing a separate pay structure for teachers could help eliminate pay and benefit disparities among them.
Under the MPO system, teachers at private schools receive a full basic salary, along with Tk 1,000 for house rent and Tk 500 for medical expenses. Currently, teachers of government primary schools are paid under the 13th grade of the National Pay Scale 2015. The basic salary under this grade ranges from Tk 11,000 to Tk 26,590.
Mazharul noted that teachers in Bangladesh earn less than their counterparts in South Asian countries like India and many other Asian nations.
The National Education Policy 2010 said, “If the issue of the status of teachers is limited to rhetoric and the teachers do not enjoy a respectable social status in real terms, the quality of education cannot be improved.
“Opportunities of training for them at home and abroad will be created and stipends and training courses overseas will be made available to them.
“These steps can strengthen the education sector. A separate pay scale will be introduced for teachers of all levels to enhance their financial benefits,” the policy said.
The UGC’s annual report in 2017 recommended that public university teachers be placed under a separate pay scale to help improve the quality of higher education.
Professor Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed of BRAC University, also the founding director of the university’s Institute of Educational Development, blamed bureaucrats and successive governments for failing to implement a separate pay structure for teachers.
“This has not happened because the bureaucrats are opposed to it. Successive governments did not have a political will to establish a separate pay scale.”
In August 2015, public university teachers under the banner of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA), demonstrated demanding a distinct pay scale and review of then proposed 8th National Pay Scale.
In July this year, the FBUTA held a month-long protest demanding the cancellation of the “Prottoy” pension scheme and a separate pay structure.
FBUTA President Prof Akhtarul Islam said that during discussions with relevant authorities, they insisted on a separate pay scale for teachers at all educational levels.
The education adviser and Sheikh Abdur Rashid, senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, could not be reached over the phone for comment.
A top education ministry official, however, said that the matter of a separate pay scale for teachers is not currently a priority for the ministry.