Education minister sets six-month goal for retirement benefit clearance

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has said the government aims to clear the backlog of retirement and welfare benefit applications from retired teachers and employees of private educational institutions within six months, provided the required funds are allocated.

Responding to a question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Abdul Wares in Parliament on Sunday, the minister said around 67,000 applications 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 Tk 13 lakh.

The minister told the House that settling all pending retirement benefit applications would require around Tk 8,710 crore. However, the board currently has only about Tk 1,300 crore, leaving a funding shortfall of nearly Tk 7,410 crore.

He also said around 45,000 applications have remained pending with the Non-Government Teachers and Employee Welfare Trust between August 2023 and 21 June 2026. Clearing those applications would require a one-off allocation of about Tk 3,150 crore.

Milon said the government had already taken steps to address the financial difficulties facing both the Retirement Benefits Board and the Welfare Trust by arranging the necessary budget allocations.

He added that several administrative reforms had been introduced to speed up the processing of applications. These include restoring 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,” the minister told Parliament.

He said the government's long-term goal is to ensure retired teachers and employees of private schools, colleges and madrasahs receive their retirement and welfare benefits within three to six months of retirement.

In his question, Abdul Wares highlighted the prolonged hardship faced by retired teachers of private schools, colleges and madrasahs, many of whom have waited years to receive their benefits, and asked whether the government would ensure payments within three to six months after retirement.