MPO reg. not done in two decades ' Alim-level teachers of Dinajpur's Jhanjira Madrasa passing inhuman lives
Mahidul Islam Ripon, Dinajpur
Sunday was World Teachers' Day. Although this day is quite joyful for teachers, known as the "craftsmen of human development", the teachers of the Alim level of Jhanjira Madrasa in Dinajpur Sadar Upazila are in a state of joy. They have not received government salaries for almost two decades and are living in misery and misery. They are living a subhuman life with the noble profession of teaching as their vow.
Md. Yakub Ali, a lecturer in the Arabic department working at Jhanjira Alim Madrasa. He joined the madrasa as a lecturer on June 2, 2002. But he has not received a government salary so far. Lecturer Yakub Ali said, "We are the craftsmen who build the people of the society. But the age of employment is coming to an end - there is no salary. I have ended my life. If this is the condition of the craftsmen who build the people, then what will be the condition of the nation."
Lecturer Mohammad Hafizul Islam of the same madrasa also joined on June 2, 2002. He is also living a subhuman life without receiving salary. Lecturer Hafizul Islam said, "When teachers of the Dakhil branch go to collect their salary in front of us, we feel ashamed." He said, "I have been working without getting salary for a long time, taking teaching as an addiction. After class activities, I give private lessons to some students. I have to run my family with this little money."
Marina Akhter joined the Madrasa as a lecturer in the Political Science Department on September 26, 2004, and Nazma Yasmin joined the Bengali Department on November 4 of the same year. They have been teaching in the Madrasa without salary for a long time without receiving government salary. Lecturer Marina Akhter said, I came to this profession with teaching as a vow. It seems that it has become a curse in my life. Even after passing from SSC to Masters with good results, I did not try any other job when I was of working age considering teaching as a great profession. Now the age of the certificate is over. There is no opportunity to go to any other profession. Even after getting higher education because I love the teaching profession, I am now dependent on my husband without getting salary.
Nazma Yasmin, a lecturer in the Bengali department, said the same thing. She said, "I have spent so much time in the teaching profession thinking that I will be enrolled in the MPO. How long will I continue to volunteer like this?" She said, "My children know that their mothers are teachers. But I am ashamed to tell them that they do not receive a salary. I cannot even buy something for my children at the end of the month. I feel small even to my family and relatives." She said, "Even though we are teachers, this Teachers' Day is not for us." She demanded from the government that she be able to introduce herself as a teacher for the last time of her life. For this, she is demanding recognition as an MPO-registered teacher.
Acting Principal of Jhanjira Alim Madrasa, Md. Munsef Ali, said that this madrasa was established in 1968. It was registered with the Dakhil level MPO in 1985.
Then in 2001, permission was granted to teach at the Alim level and on July 1, 2005, the government granted academic recognition to the Alim level. Since 2003, students of this madrasa have been participating in the Alim examination under the Madrasa Education Board. Due to the sincerity of the teachers, students from this madrasa have always achieved good results. In this context, he said that 94 percent of students from this madrasa passed the Alim examination in 2021, 92 percent in 2022, and 91 percent in 2023 and 2024. But the sad thing is that till today, the Alim level has not been registered with the government MPO. As a result, the Alim level teachers have been living a subhuman life.
In this regard, Dinajpur Sadar Upazila Secondary Education Officer Md. Shakerina Begum said, "Jhanjira Alim Madrasa has not been registered as an Alim level MPO. As a result, Alim level teachers have been living in inhuman conditions for a long time. It is necessary to register the Alim level MPO considering the interests of teachers and students. She expressed hope that if the institution is registered as an MPO, teachers and students will benefit and they will be able to contribute more to improving the quality of education."
