Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday pledged that retired teachers and employees of non-government MPO-listed educational institutions would no longer have to visit offices repeatedly or face harassment to receive their retirement and welfare benefits.

“Teachers who teach millions of students about ethics, morality and ideals should not have to pay bribes or visit office after office to withdraw their own money. Your rightful money will reach your accounts on time, online and without any hassle,” he said.

The Prime Minister came up with the remarks while addressing a ceremony at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka for the disbursement of retirement and welfare benefits through Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) and Integrated Budget and Accounting System (iBAS++) to retired MPO-listed teachers and employees in all 64 districts.

He said the government would make every effort to ensure that the benefits are deposited directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts through an online system within the stipulated time.

“As long as the government elected by you remains in charge of the state, InshaAllah, our utmost effort will be to ensure that you no longer have to go from office to office to receive your retirement benefits,” Tarique Rahman said

He also handed over benefit cheques to 10 retired teachers and employees at the ceremony.

Officials said more than 123,000 retired teachers and employees were being brought under the benefit disbursement programme, with more than 70,000 teachers who had been waiting for their retirement benefits expected to receive payments.

The government allocated a one-time Tk 2,035.86 crore to clear the retirement and welfare benefits of teachers and employees.

The funds were sent simultaneously to the respective bank accounts of the beneficiaries across all 64 districts to clear the backlog that had accumulated over the past four years.

Tarique Rahman said the programme marked an important step in ending the uncertainty faced by retired teachers, many of whom had been waiting for their rightful benefits since 2022.

He said retired teachers historically faced considerable difficulties in accessing money deposited in the Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust and the Retirement Benefit Fund.

“It seemed that an unwritten rule of paying bribes had even been established to withdraw their rightful money…If teachers have to suffer such harassment, it is not merely harassment of teachers; I believe it reflects our humiliation as a nation,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the new digital payment system would allow the government to transfer the benefits directly to the respective bank accounts of retired teachers and employees, reducing opportunities for middlemen and corruption.

The Prime Minister said the initiative required significant efforts because the two funds had faced serious financial and technological problems in the past.

Tarique Rahman said irregularities, including the creation of fake indexes and misuse of fund resources, weakened the two funds, while damage to their technological infrastructure further disrupted benefit payments.

As a result, retired teachers who had spent their working lives spreading the light of education were left facing financial uncertainty after retirement, he said.

The Prime Minister said the government has decided after taking office to pay the outstanding retirement benefits but found that the funds did not have sufficient resources to meet the liabilities.

“Considering the hardship of more than 70,000 retired teachers, the government has had to arrange the payments through special measures,” he said.

Tribute to Khaleda Zia

The Prime Minister paid tribute to his late mother and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for her role in establishing the two funds.

He said the Non-Government Educational Institutions Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust was established in 1991, while the Retirement Benefit Board was established in 2002 through her initiatives.

He said Khaleda Zia initially allocated Tk 14 crore from government funds and gradually built the fund to Tk 89 crore.

Tarique also recalled her initiatives to expand education, particularly for women, including education stipends and opportunities for girls to study without tuition fees.

Teachers’ role continues after retirement

The Prime Minister also stressed that retirement from the teaching profession does not end a teacher’s responsibility toward society.“Teaching is said to be the only profession that creates all other professions.”

Tarique Rahman noted that countless students taught by the retired teachers had gone on to establish themselves in different professions and would continue to do so in the future. “This is where the success of a teacher lies.”

He urged retired teachers to continue contributing to society even after formally retiring from their profession particularly by helping uphold Bangladesh’s social, religious and family values.

“You have retired from the teaching profession under the usual rules but your responsibility as teachers has not ended,” the Prime Minister said. “You are still teachers of society.”

He described teachers as a source of guidance for society and expressed the hope that they would continue to play the role of a “beacon of light” throughout their lives.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khalek, among others, spoke at the programme.

The event was connected online with all 64 districts, where retired teachers and officials attended the programme.

Later, several teachers who received the retirement and welfare benefits shared their experiences and expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister.

Teachers from Sherpur, Cox’s Bazar, Dinajpur, Bogura and Chandpur also joined virtually and shared their feelings.