Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Sunday said the government plans to clear the backlog of retirement and welfare benefits for retired teachers and employees of private educational institutions within six months, subject to the allocation of the necessary funds.
Responding to a question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Abdul Wares (Gaibandha-5) in Parliament, the minister said around 67,000 applications for retirement benefits are currently pending with the Non-Government Teacher Employee Retirement Benefits Board.
He said each retired teacher or employee receives an average retirement benefit of about Tk13 lakh.
According to Ehsanul Hoque Milon, settling all pending applications requires approximately Tk8,710 crore, while the retirement fund currently holds only around Tk1,300 crore, leaving a shortfall of nearly Tk7,410 crore.
He also informed the House that about 45,000 applications have remained pending with the Non-Government Teachers and Employee Welfare Trust since August 2023 to 21 June 2026.
The minister said clearing those applications will require a one-off allocation of around Tk3,150 crore.
He also said the government has already initiated measures to address the financial crisis facing both the retirement benefits board and the welfare trust by arranging the necessary budgetary allocation.
Ehsanul Hoque Milon further said that several administrative reforms have also been undertaken to speed up the settlement process, including reactivating the software system, increasing manpower, expanding online services and introducing direct payments to teachers’ and employees’ bank accounts through the iBAS++ financial management system.
“If the necessary funds are allocated, it will be possible to dispose of all currently pending retirement benefit applications within six months,” he told Parliament.
The minister added that the government’s long-term objective is to ensure that retired teachers and employees of private schools, colleges and madrasas receive their retirement and welfare benefits within three to six months after retirement.
In his question, Abdul Wares highlighted the prolonged suffering of retired teachers of private schools, colleges and madrasas who have been waiting for years to receive their retirement benefits, and asked whether the government will ensure payments within three to six months of retirement.
