Server Snag Stalls Support: Delays Deepen for Retired MPO Teachers Amid Funding Crisis
Thousands of retired teachers and staff from non-government MPO (Monthly Pay Order) institutions across Bangladesh continue to face prolonged delays in receiving retirement and welfare benefits. Following the July mass uprising and persistent financial shortfalls, more than 85,000 applications for pension and welfare funds remain pending.
The combined backlog of these applications currently faces a funding deficit of nearly BDT 11,000 crore. In an attempt to alleviate the crisis, the Ministry of Finance approved a fresh allocation of BDT 2,200 crore to the Retirement and Welfare Trust on May 28.
Following the announcement, there has been renewed interest among teachers in applying for the benefits. However, applicants have been left frustrated as the online server for submitting retirement fund applications has been inaccessible for the past 12 days.
On Friday, May 30, numerous applicants reported being unable to access the server despite repeated attempts. Retired teachers and employees expressed their anger and urged the concerned authorities to address the issue urgently.
According to affected individuals, the server has been down since May 19. On that day, the retirement fund board issued a notice citing technical errors, stating: "Software-related technical development and maintenance work is in progress. The server will remain down for a short time. We apologize for the temporary inconvenience." Despite this notice, the server remains inactive after nearly two weeks.
When contacted Friday night, several officials from the Retirement Benefit Board spoke on condition of anonymity. Two officials indicated that, “Since fund disbursement is currently stalled, the authorities see little urgency in processing new applications.” They further added that the server may not resume operations until after the Eid holidays.
Meanwhile, the Retirement Benefit Board and Welfare Trust together are facing over 75,000 unresolved applications. Officials from both entities confirmed that due to the ongoing financial crisis, disbursement of funds to approved applicants has been delayed.
In a move to ease the situation, the interim government announced on May 24 a significant financial package: BDT 2,000 crore for the Retirement Benefit Board and BDT 200 crore for the Welfare Trust.
The allocation has sparked hope among retired MPO-affiliated teachers and staff whose applications have been pending for up to five years. Many who were hesitant to apply earlier are now showing renewed interest. However, with the application server still non-functional, frustration continues to grow among the teaching community.
