MPO teachers to march to Jamuna today

Teachers and employees under the MPO scheme will march to the state guesthouse Jamuna, the official residence of the chief adviser, today to press for their three-point demand, including a 20% house rent allowance. Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-listed Education Nationalisation Expectant Alliance, made the announcement following the road blockade at Shahbagh intersection on Wednesday.

He said that if a government circular is not issued by Wednesday night, the teachers will move from their three-point demand to a one-point movement from Thursday morning, focusing solely on nationalization.

"We will march towards Jamuna at noon to press for the nationalization of MPO-listed institutions," he added.

After blocking Shahbagh from noon to 3pm, the protesting teachers returned to Shaheed Minar and formally unveiled the plan at 5:15pm.

Since Sunday, teachers and staff have been holding daily assemblies, rallies, marches, and blockades in the capital. The movement began on Sunday in front of the National Press Club, where police reportedly dispersed the teachers by force.

Their sit-in was later shifted to the Shaheed Minar.

On Tuesday afternoon, when they attempted to march towards the Secretariat, police stopped them near the High Court Mazar Gate, prompting them to stay there temporarily before returning to the Shaheed Minar and later moving to Shahbagh on Wednesday. Teachers have vowed to continue their sit-in and work abstention until their demands are met.

Their three-point demand includes a 20% house rent allowance for MPO-listed teachers, a medical allowance of Tk1,500, and a 75% festival allowance for staff.