Tk7,176cr needed to settle 59,820 teachers, staff pending retirement claims: Edu minister

A total of 59,820 retirement benefit applications from private school and college teachers and staff remain pending, requiring Tk7,176 crore for settlement, Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon said today (23 April).

Responding to a question from Rangpur-1 lawmaker Md Raihan Siraji during the question-answer session in parliament, the minister said the government plans to settle a portion of these applications in the next fiscal year.

He said delays in disbursing retirement and welfare benefits to non-government educational institution employees are being treated with priority and several measures have already been taken to address the issue.

According to the minister, a total of 80,320 applications have been submitted to the Private Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefits Board, requiring approximately Tk9,638 crore. Of these, 59,820 applications are still awaiting disposal.

For the current 2025-26 fiscal year, the government has set a target to settle around 20,500 applications, allocating Tk2,462 crore for the purpose, the minister added.

So far, about 6,000 applications have been processed, with nearly Tk700 crore disbursed. The remaining allocation is expected to cover benefits for around 14,500 teachers and staff.

The minister added that welfare allowances are being regularly disbursed through the Non-Government Teachers’ and Employees’ Welfare Trust. The trust is funded mainly through a 4% deduction from the salaries of MPO-listed teachers and staff.

However, the trust faces an annual shortfall, with income of around Tk660 crore against expenditure of approximately Tk840 crore, resulting in a deficit of nearly Tk180 crore, he said.

To address the funding gap and accelerate benefit disbursement, the government is considering allocating at least Tk200 crore annually from the national budget, the minister said, adding that plans are also underway to transform the trust into a revenue-generating entity through the construction of its own building and education complex.

Additionally, steps are being taken to bring the trust under tax-exempt status, which could save approximately Tk7 crore annually.