The newly introduced pension instrument meant for newcomers of state-owned autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies irked public university teachers, who announced indefinite work abstention across the country from today.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association called for a boycott of classes, examinations, and administrative work a day before the start of the implementation of Prattay, a new pension instrument introduced by the National Pension Authority.
In a press statement on Sunday, FBUTA said that their indefinite work abstention was part of the ongoing movement to press home their demands, which included the cancellation of a gazette linked to the Prattay and the introduction of an independent pay structure for university teachers.聽
Published on March 14, the gazette made it mandatory for all officials and employees who will join state-owned autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies from July 1, 2024 onwards, to be included in the new pension instrument.
The new pension scheme will not apply to government officials.
Rejecting the gazette, FBUTA has been observing protests and programmes for the past three months.
FBUTA secretary general Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan said that they rejected the new scheme as it would create discrepancies.
Meritorious students will feel discouraged from taking teaching as a profession, he said, calling the new pension scheme a conspiracy to destroy the education system.
On Sunday, teachers from different universities, including Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Jagannath University, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, and the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, observed the full-day work abstention through different programmes.
DUTA announced nine programmes that included the closure of all classes and online education, the boycott of examinations, the suspension of seminars and research, and the closure of the central library.
鈥榃e will observe the situation,鈥� said education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury at a press conference in the city on Sunday held in connection with Higher Secondary School Certificate examinations.聽
Commenting on the much-talked-about pension scheme, he said that it would apply to teachers who join the profession after July 1.
鈥榃e are part of the government鈥檚 executive division,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥榓ny comment on the government鈥檚 specific decision should not be made.鈥�
He also said that his ministry had discussed the matter with teachers several times.
The National Pension Authority has already updated its online system to enlist officials and employees of state-owned autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies with the Prattay.
It also fixed a monthly contribution ranging from a minimum of Tk 2000 to a maximum of Tk 10,000.
Its calculation shows that a subscriber of the instrument would get a maximum pension of Tk 3,44,655 for contributing Tk 10,000 monthly for 42 years and a minimum monthly pension benefit of Tk 3,060 for contributing Tk 2,000 for 10 mandatory years.
The university teachers, however, have identified discrepancies between the new instrument and the old one.
Under the new instruments, festival bonuses and medical allowances are not included.
Under the old pension system, the retirement age for a teacher was defined as 65 years, while in Prattay, the retirement age was defined as 60 years.
Encashment of earned leave facilities and financial benefits during the leave preparatory period is also absent from the new instrument.
The new teachers under the Prattay will have to contribute around 10 per cent pension and a similar amount to the provident fund, facing additional burdens at the start of their careers, said FBUTA secretary general Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, who is also president of DUTA.
There are around 16,000 public university teachers active under affiliated bodies of the federation.
At present, more than 2.5 lakh officials and employees serve state-owned autonomous bodies and entities.
The retired officials of the state-owned autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies enjoy pensions鈥�90 per cent of the basic monthly salary鈥攍ike public officers and employees do.
National Pension Authority member Md Golam Mostafa said the old instrument was different from the new one.聽
鈥榃e are executing the policy only鈥�, he said while commenting on the discrepancies and protests by teachers.
The authority has already floated contributory schemes Pragati, Samata, and Probash, where the government will not share subscription fees.
The contribution from the government to the monthly subscription fee under Surokkha is designed for low-income groups.聽
While launching the scheme in August 2023, immediate past finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal hoped that the scheme would attract huge subscribers and help the government tackle the credit crunch.
The pension authority, however, is struggling to woo clients, said its insiders, while referring to overall members at around 3,32,773 until the past week.
The government has received around Tk 97 crore as contributory payments, of which Tk 93 crore has been invested in treasury bonds.