Retired Teachers, Employees to Receive Benefits Online Without Hassle: PM Rahman

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman vowed on Tuesday that retired teachers and employees from non-government MPO-listed educational institutions will no longer face harassment or repeated visits to offices to claim their retirement and welfare benefits. He pledged that their rightful money would reach their accounts promptly and online.

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Teachers who teach millions of students about ethics, morality and ideals should not have to pay bribes or visit office after office to withdraw their own money. Your rightful money will reach your accounts on time, online and without any hassle.

Speaking at a ceremony in Dhaka for the disbursement of benefits through Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) and the Integrated Budget and Accounting System (iBAS++), the prime minister addressed retired individuals from all 64 districts. He emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring benefits are deposited directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts within the stipulated time, stating, "As long as the government elected by you remains in charge of the state, In Shaa Allah, our utmost effort will be to ensure that you no longer have to go from office to office to receive your retirement benefits."

Officials reported that the new program will cover over 123,000 retired teachers and employees. More than 70,000 individuals who had been waiting for their retirement benefits are anticipated to receive payments. The government has allocated a one-time sum of Tk 2,035.86 crore to clear these outstanding benefits, addressing a backlog that had accumulated over the past four years. Funds were simultaneously sent to beneficiaries' bank accounts across all districts.

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As long as the government elected by you remains in charge of the state, In Shaa Allah, our utmost effort will be to ensure that you no longer have to go from office to office to receive your retirement benefits.

Rahman highlighted the difficulties faced by many retired teachers who had been waiting for their benefits since 2022, often encountering issues with the Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust and the Retirement Benefit Fund. He described the situation as a national humiliation, stating, "If teachers have to suffer such harassment, it is not merely harassment of teachers; I believe it reflects our humiliation as a nation." The prime minister asserted that the new digital system would curb opportunities for middlemen and corruption, which had plagued the two funds due to financial and technological problems, including irregularities like fake indexes and resource misuse.

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If teachers have to suffer such harassment, it is not merely harassment of teachers; I believe it reflects our humiliation as a nation.

He noted that while the government aimed to clear outstanding benefits upon taking office, they discovered the funds lacked sufficient resources. "Considering the hardship of more than 70,000 retired teachers, the government has had to arrange the payments through special measures," he explained, underscoring the special effort made to address the long-standing issue.

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Considering the hardship of more than 70,000 retired teachers, the government has had to arrange the payments through special measures.