MPO teachers barred from other profitable jobs

The government will take action against teachers who get involved in other profitable jobs alongside their teaching profession, according to the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) Policy 2021 published on Monday.

MPO teachers' involvement in other profitable professions was also prohibited in the previous policy, but it contained no provision of action being taken for a violation of the rules.

The education ministry received a good number of complaints against MPO teachers who have been involved in other lucrative professions around the country. That is why it added the provision for action to be taken under the new policy.

Professor Dr Syed Golam Faruk, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, told The Business Standard that the authorities had formulated the policy considering all aspects of the issue.

He hoped that it would be one of the best policies for MPO institutions.

"We will not allow any teacher to get involved in other jobs. We will take action if we receive any such complaint in the future," he added.

According to the new policy, an MPO lecturer at a higher secondary institution must fulfill nine conditions, containing 100 marks, to be promoted to senior lecturer.

The mark distribution will include: 15 marks for academic results, 20 for classroom presence, 10 for no complaints, 5 for not having any departmental case, 10 for creative activities, 10 for having skills to take online classes, 5 for having an MPhil or a PhD, 10 for publishing research papers, and 15 for overall qualifications.

The ratio of promotions was increased to 1:1 in the current policy from 5:2 in the previous one. This means if there are two teachers at an institution, one will be promoted under the new policy.

But higher secondary teachers' designation was reduced from assistant professor to senior lecturer. A lecturer at an MPO institution can be a senior lecturer if he/she works for eight years and passes the 100-mark exam.

Other teachers can become senior lecturers after 16 years of service.

Teachers have expressed dissatisfaction over the degradation of their designation in the new policy. They said the policy had undermined them in terms of achieving promotions and designations.

Nazrul Islam Roni, president of Bangladesh Teachers Samity, told The Business Standard a teacher usually had to wait for 16 years for promotion and 10 years for increment, which is unexpected and also regrettable.

"We have been demanding that all higher secondary teachers be promoted. But the government will promote only half of them while the rest will have to wait for 16 years. Such initiatives will discourage teachers from imparting knowledge to students properly," he said.

"We will submit a memorandum in this regard to the authorities concerned. Eventually, we will launch a movement after the Covid-19 pandemic situation becomes normal," he added.

A teacher wishing anonymity said it was good that those in his profession had to face examinations to come by promotions.

"But it will be discriminatory as only half of us will avail this. Why will every capable teacher not be promoted?"

Under the new policy, to get MPO facilities, lower secondary institutions in metropolitan areas must have a 70% pass rate while it will be 65% and 60% in district sadar and rural areas, respectively.

Moreover, the pass rate for secondary institutions must be 70%, 60% and 55% in metropolitan, district sadar and rural areas respectively.

Higher secondary institutions in metropolitan areas must have a 65% pass rate, while it will be 55% and 50% in district sadar and rural areas respectively.

The conditions will be relaxed for educational institutions in hilly, underprivileged and slum areas.