DU teachers suspend classes and exams and demand withdrawal of the “Prottoy program”

The Dhaka University Teachers’ Association has announced the suspension of classes and examinations of all faculties of the university for an indefinite period and demanded the withdrawal of the new general pension scheme ‘Prottoy’.

The strike will continue until the demands for the withdrawal of the exclusion of university lecturers from discriminatory certification systems, the introduction of individual salary scales for teachers and the integration of university lecturers into the promised higher salary group are met, according to a press release from the association on Sunday (30 June).

“As part of our comprehensive protest programme, the teachers of Dhaka University will not attend classes. If the teachers do not attend classes, how will classes be conducted,” Dr Md Nizamul Hoque, president of DU Teachers Association, told The Business Standard.

In recent days, teachers across the country have called for the abolition of the Prottoy program for newly hired university employees, saying it is “discriminatory.”

They said this would lead to discrimination against university teachers.
In addition, the association also called for the immediate introduction of a “super grade” for university lecturers.

“The Prottoy scheme will lead to discrimination between old and new employees. If it exists, it will have a negative impact on colleagues,” Zeenat Huda, general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association, said at the time.

“The current teachers are happy with the existing pension system. It is not clear why this new system has been introduced,” Zeenat added.

On March 20, the Ministry of Finance introduced ‘Prottoy’ under its Universal Pension Scheme (UPS) for autonomous, government, statutory and subordinate institutions. Employees of these institutions joining on July 1, 2024 or later will have to enroll in the new scheme.