Quader’s meeting with varsity teachers postponed

Today’s scheduled meeting of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader with the leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association over pension was postponed.

Prof Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, president of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association, said the meeting was supposed to be held in the morning, but it was not held at the last moment.

The date of the meeting will be informed later, he added.

Public university teachers across the country are observing the work abstention demanding reinstating previous pension facilities in place of the Universal Pension Scheme.

Earlier, the protesting teachers have rejected the clarification given by the Finance Ministry on the ‘Prottoy Scheme’ of universal pension.

When asked about the teachers’ stance, Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Tuesday described the ongoing movement as ‘irrational,’ without detailing his statement further.

Meanwhile, the pension authority explained its stance regarding the application of the Prottoy scheme to university teachers.

As per the explanation, teachers, officers, and employees who have been recruited until 30 June 2024 will enjoy the conventional pension system, while the prottoy scheme will only be applicable to new recruits.

The teachers have recently been included in the Prottoy scheme of the universal pension scheme, disentitling them to their conventional pension system. In protest, they waged an indefinite work abstention programme since July 1, the day that marked the formal operation of the Prottoy scheme.