Teachers from independent Ebtedayee madrasas continued their hunger strike for the third consecutive day on Tuesday in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, demanding inclusion in the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) system and release of pending salaries. Despite the extreme heat, six teachers fell ill due to dehydration and received primary medical treatment at the protest site. The hunger strike began on Sunday morning under the leadership of the Independent Ebtedayee Madrasa Teachers’ Welfare Committee.

Committee member secretary Hafez Maulana Mufti Abdul Hannan Hossain said the teachers have long been protesting discrimination but have yet to receive any government response. The teachers claim that although they applied for MPO inclusion between July 3 and 10 last year, no madrasa has been approved after ten months. They also allege that newly appointed teachers have not received salaries since January 2026, affecting about 1,690 teachers.

The protesters added that despite decades of recognition under the 1978 ordinance and 1984 madrasa board approval, no independent Ebtedayee madrasa has been nationalized or brought under MPO. Previous attempts to meet the Prime Minister and Education Minister were blocked by police, and promised meetings have not yet occurred.