MPO teachers' retirement age should be extended

FE Team | Published: June 20, 2026 20:42:49

Teachers are not developed overnight. Through years of academic preparation, professional training, classroom practice, and continuous learning in areas such as subject knowledge, pedagogy, creativity, and information technology, they gradually become valuable assets to educational institutions.
Increasing the retirement age of MPO-enlisted teachers from 60 to 65 years would allow educational institutions to benefit longer from the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of senior educators. A teacher often attains the highest level of competence after 30 to 40 years of service. When experienced teachers retire at 60, institutions lose a wealth of expertise that could otherwise enrich students' learning.
The proposal is particularly relevant at a time when many MPO-affiliated schools and colleges are facing acute teacher shortages. Recruitment through the NTRCA is often delayed, while some newly appointed teachers either decline to join their assigned institutions or leave shortly after joining. As a result, academic activities suffer and educational quality declines. Extending the retirement age would help ease this crisis in the short term.
Bangladesh's average life expectancy has increased significantly over the years, and many teachers remain physically and mentally capable of performing their duties well beyond the age of 60. Allowing them to work until 65 is therefore both practical and justified.
Moreover, retired MPO teachers often have to wait five to seven years to receive their retirement and welfare benefits. An additional five years of employment would provide greater financial security and help protect them from hardship during this lengthy waiting period.
Since teachers at government universities are allowed to serve until the age of 65, extending the same retirement age to MPO teachers would also help reduce disparities and ensure greater fairness within the education sector.
Md. Moinuddin Chowdhury
Assistant professor
Sankuchail Degree College, Burichang, Cumilla