NTERBB facing fund constraints to pay benefits to retired teachers, employees

Khairul Islam | Published: March 05, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

The Non-government Teacher- Employee Retirement Benefit Board (NTERBB) now finds itself in a difficult situation to meet the growing demand for retirement benefits from the beneficiaries due mainly to fund constraints.
The NTERBB is facing a fund deficit of nearly Tk 400 million every month as the board has to distribute nearly Tk 560 million while they receive only Tk 170 million per month from the beneficiaries.
Sources in the board said the authorities collect Tk 170 million from non-government teachers and employees as 4 per cent contribution from the monthly payment order (MPO). Â
The retirement board recently sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance saying that it may face permanent closure, frustrating the non-government teachers and employees if the deficit continues, they added.
According to the retirement board, a total 29,616 applications of non-government teachers and employees seeking benefit worth Tk 10.56 billion have been lying unsettled over the last 38 months.
Officials at the beneficiary board said that even they always receive many recommendations from the ruling party top leaders including ministers and parliament members of the incumbent government to process the suggested applications on the priority basis.
Meanwhile, visiting the board, it was found that a good number of elderly and ailing retired teachers were anxiously waiting in front of the beneficiary board to know the status of their applications for retirement benefits.
Nazmul Haque, a retired principal of a Fazil Madrasah at Dinajpur who has been fighting with deadly cancer since 2011, said he is unable now to continue his costly treatment for want of money.
The seriously ill teacher who was found in a queue with his relative at the board seeking his retirement benefit from early in the morning also said that because of illness, he can't regularly come to the board to know bout the position of his application.
"Despite serious illness, I have personally come to the board seeking the money for my costly medical treatment," he shared his agony with the FE with tearing eyes.
Mohammad Momtaz Uddin, another teacher of a high school in Comilla and also a cancer victim, who came to the board located in the city's Plassey area said that he retired on May 31, 2013, but he can't even expect the fund by his lifetime.
"When I asked the board authorities about my retirement benefit, they simply replied in negative saying that they don't know exactly when the fund will be available as the board doesn't have required money", he noted.
NTERBB Assistant Director Dr M ABU Hanifa told the FE that a total of 29,616 applications submitted over the last three years have been lying pending for want of required fund.
He said that the board authorities have paid the benefits to those who had applied before January, 2011, and they need at least Tk 10.56 billion to process the existing applications.
"We feel embarrassed seeing the elderly and sick teachers and employees queuing in front of the board," said Member Secretary of the beneficiary board Principal Asadul Haque.
He said that they had sent several letters to the concerned ministry seeking the fund, but the ministry just replied with the some assurances.