by 
April 28, 2025
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has taken steps to upgrade the pay grades of government primary school teachers by one level. If implemented, assistant teachers will start at the 12th grade, while head teachers will be placed in the 10th grade.
According to ministry sources, this initiative aligns with recommendations from the advisory committee on improving primary and non-formal education, led by Professor Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed of BRAC University, as well as a court ruling. The ministry has directed the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) to include the proposed upgraded pay grades for head and assistant teachers in the organizational structure and submit a proposal based on the pay scale enhancement checklist. A letter regarding this was recently sent to the DPE.
The advisory committee, which submitted its report to the government in February, made over 100 recommendations to enhance primary education quality. Among them, it proposed abolishing the "assistant teacher" designation and introducing "teacher" as the entry-level position with a starting pay grade of 12 (basic salary of BDT 11,300, plus additional benefits). After two years, teachers would be confirmed in their roles, and after another two years, they could be promoted to "senior teacher" with an 11th-grade pay scale. The committee also recommended upgrading head teachers’ pay to the 10th grade.
A High Court ruling has already mandated upgrading head teachers’ pay to the 10th grade. The ministry is now moving to implement both the court’s directive and the committee’s recommendations. Ministry officials noted that the DPE must submit a formal proposal, which will then be forwarded to the Ministry of Public Administration for further action.
According to DPE data, there are over 65,000 government primary schools in Bangladesh, employing nearly 400,000 teachers. Currently, head teachers are in the 11th pay grade, while assistant teachers are in the 13th.
AI/MR
