JnU Correspodent

Jagannath University teachers have held a human chain demanding the withdrawal of the circular issued by the Ministry of Finance to exclude them from the discriminatory pension scheme, inclusion of university teachers in the promised super grade, and the introduction of a separate pay scale for teachers.

On Sunday (May 26), under the banner of the Jagannath University Teachers' Association, a human chain was made in front of the university's central Shaheed Minar premises. The teachers mentioned that the creation of disparity in the pension scheme is a conspiracy by bureaucrats. During this event, they stated that if this discriminatory pension scheme is implemented, talented persons will not come in the teaching profession.

From the human chain, the teachers said, "To destroy a nation, there is no need for a nuclear bomb. It is enough to damage the education system. Whenever Bangladesh wants to make progress, a certain group targets the teachers. The universal pension scheme is a good plan, but a certain group has included only a few professionals while keeping themselves exempt. We must intensify our movement to achieve our demands."

History Department Professor Mohammad Salim said, "Perhaps we teachers don't understand much, which is why this pension scheme is being imposed on us. If you contribute to the scheme, you will receive benefits; otherwise, you won't get a pension. This is being done to demean university jobs. When there are no problems in the country, bureaucrats create problems."

Professor Dr. Zakaria Mia, president the Neel Dal, said, "Given the importance that the government has placed on education, it should also accept the demands of the teachers."

Professor Dr. Md. Rais Uddin from the Department of Islamic Studies, said, "Those who have initiated the pension scheme are not included in it themselves, so how is it universal? This scheme has been created to tarnish the prestige of university teachers and to mislead the government. To maintain our dignity, all teachers must come together, setting aside the Neel and Sada Dal of teacher politics."

Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Dr. Md. Shajahan said, "How can it be called universal if one group is excluded and only a certain section is included in the scheme? I urge the government to reconsider before implementing this biased practice."

The General Secretary of the Teachers' Association, Associate Professor Dr. Masrick Hasan said, "The age limit for the pension Scheme is 60, but the age limit for university teachers is 65 years. Therefore, there is some ambiguity here. Moreover, the bureaucrats have created a significant disparity by not including themselves in the scheme while including university teachers. If our demands are not met, we will go on a two-hour work stoppage next Tuesday in accordance with the program of the Bangladesh University Teachers' Federation."

The President of the Teachers' Association, Professor Dr. M. Zakir Hossain said, "The government initially started it for those who did not receive pension benefits. But later, some vested interests manipulated it. Before moving forward with further plans, I hope the government will consider our demands. Teachers must be excluded from the Pratyay scheme."

It is known that prior to the universal pension scheme, the Ministry of Finance has introduced a package named 'Pratyay Scheme' along with the previous four schemes. Under this, officials or employees joining the public pension management system in all types of autonomous, semi-autonomous, state-owned, statutory, or similar institutions and their subordinate bodies after July 1, 2024, will be included in the public pension system. Bangladesh University Teachers' Federation has expressed its demand to keep public universities exempt from the 'Pratyay Scheme', labeling the proclamation of the universal pension scheme as 'discriminatory'. At the same time, the government has been urged by the country's public university teachers' organization for the effective implementation of the super grade and independent pay scale for university teachers.