Court Correspondent

The High Court on Thursday directed the government to provide retirement benefits within six months to over 5 lakh teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme.

The High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Haque passed this order.

The High Court said, the teachers have to count years to get retirement benefits. They cannot escape from this harassment. The salary of a primary school teacher should also be taken into consideration. That's why their pension should be paid within six months. Teachers cannot go door to door for years to get this pension.

Advocate Mohammad Siddique Ullah Mia said in the Non-government Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust Regulations, 1999 and Non-government Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefits Rules, 2005, there was a provision to deduct 2 per cent of the basic salary of teachers and 4 per cent of the employees.

On the contrary, some financial benefits were provided to the teachers and staff from the funds of the teachers' trust.

But on April 19, 2017, two notifications were issued amending the provisions of deducting 2 per cent and 4 per cent of the basic salary of teachers and employees and was made 4 per and 6 per cent respectively, he added.

He said about 500,000 teachers and employees of private educational institutions contacted the authorities at different times to cancel the order, as their financial benefits were not increased against the additional deduction.

But when the authorities did not take any proper steps in this regard, they held various programs including the human chain at different times.

On April 15, 2019, the teachers and employees filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the notification issued by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.