Restore teachers’ status and dignity

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s strong assertion that the dignity of teachers in society is closely linked to the dignity and image of the state is undoubtedly a welcome and encouraging statement. Marking World Teachers’ Day on October 5, the PM stressed the need to make teaching an attractive and competitive profession so the most talented people opt for it as their first career. We laud him for his statement, which came after this daily reported in detail how the teaching profession has remained undervalued for a long time.

According to the report, primary teachers are often placed in the same pay grade (Grade 13) as drivers, clerks, and stenographers even though they require higher academic qualifications to enter the profession. Citing a recruitment advertisement for a technician in Grade 13, the report noted that anyone with SSC and HSC certificates is eligible to apply, whereas the minimum qualification for an assistant primary teacher is a bachelor’s degree.

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What teachers need beyond recognition

Another report published on the same day quoted officials from the finance ministry as saying that the recent pay hike for civil servants, effective from July this year, will not immediately be available to teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme, the system through which basic salaries and portions of allowances are paid to teachers at approved educational institutions. According to the officials, the delay is because payments under the MPO system are still processed manually, while the salaries of civil servants are managed through centralised digital software. Government employees are set to receive the higher salaries, including arrears dating back to July, with this month’s pay.

This is yet another instance of the neglect that teachers—and ultimately the education system—receive in the state’s policy-making priorities. These disparities must be removed as soon as possible if the government genuinely wants to make teaching an attractive profession again. Dignity without decent pay is merely wishful thinking.

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Give teachers respect, financial security

The neglect of teachers extends beyond pay disparities. They also face very limited promotion opportunities and the absence of a clear career progression path. An expert committee under the interim government proposed abolishing the post of assistant teacher and recruiting new teachers at Grade 12. They would be confirmed after two years and promoted to senior teachers in Grade 11 after another two years. Headteachers would be placed in Grade 10. The government should urgently consider these recommendations. Quality recruitment, appropriate training, and decent and attractive pay structures are essential to improving the quality of education and raising it to global standards. Without providing teachers with adequate financial support and removing existing disparities with equivalent professions, any statement about restoring their dignity will become another rhetoric.