The statement was made in a post published on the official Facebook page of the Chief Adviser on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the post, the interim government has decided to increase the house rent allowance for teachers and employees under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) in private educational institutions by 7.5 percent of their basic salary, effective from November 1 this year. Another 7.5 percent increase will take effect from July next year, bringing the total increment to 15 percent.
The post stated that Professor Yunus had held a series of meetings in recent days with several advisers to discuss the demands of MPO-affiliated teachers and staff. The advisers included Education Adviser Professor Dr. C. R. Abrar, Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, and Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud.
It further said that the Chief Adviser recognized the teachers’ demands as reasonable but noted that the decision had to be made considering the country’s current economic condition. “The reality is that Bangladesh’s economy, which was crippled by 15 years of corruption and plundering, has only begun to recover under the interim government. However, it has not yet reached a position to allow a 20 percent rent increase based on basic salary. Therefore, the government had to take this realistic decision,” the post quoted him as saying.
The Chief Adviser also expressed gratitude to all those involved, particularly Education Adviser Professor C. R. Abrar, for their dedicated efforts in addressing the teachers’ concerns.
Professor Yunus concluded by saying that he hoped the teachers would now return to classrooms with renewed motivation and commitment, helping to nurture and shape the nation’s next generation.
