Four teachers taking part in a hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar fell ill on Monday, organisers said, as protests by MPO-listed staff over benefits entered another day.
The teachers are among demonstrators demanding a 20% house-rent allowance, a Tk 1,500 monthly medical allowance, and a 75% festival bonus for non-teaching staff.
The sit-in, led by the Alliance for Nationalisation of MPO-Listed Education and the Bangladesh Madrasa Teachers and Employees Forum, has run for days at the Shaheed Minar.
Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, the alliance’s member-secretary, confirmed the illnesses and said the strike would continue until formal government orders reflect the three demands.
He also cited Sunday’s “hungry march” towards the Ministry of Education as part of the rolling programme.
The government has proposed raising the house-rent allowance by 5% of basic pay, with a Tk 2,000 minimum, from November 1—an offer protesters rejected as insufficient.
Education adviser Prof Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar said fiscal constraints ruled out a higher rate for now.
BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie visited the camp to express solidarity, while leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad—founder Nurul Haque Nur and general secretary Rashed Khan—were expected to join later on Monday, according to organisers.
Protesters say many private-sector teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme receive significantly lower housing benefits than their government-school counterparts, and want allowances set as a percentage of basic salary to align over time.
Several participants have reported health complications during the fast, and rights groups warned of further deterioration if the standoff persists. Local media have documented consecutive days of sit-ins and blockades in the capital tied to the campaign.
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