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The government has set a target to develop software by December through which employees and teachers of MPO-listed educational institutions will be able to make corrections to their applications, obtain information about funds and access other services.
The Non-Government Teacher Employee Retirement Benefit Board (TERBB) has already contacted the technical team of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) to develop the software, said the board’s Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain.
He told Daily Sun that once the software is developed, MPO-listed teachers and employees will no longer need to travel to Dhaka to make corrections to their applications or obtain information about their retirement funds. The services will be provided online, he added.
Dr Abdus Salam, attached officer at TERBB (Associate Professor, Accounting), said they work relentlessly despite being understaffed, as hundreds of applicants visit the TERBB office daily to rectify errors in their applications.
The board has also opened a booth on the ground floor of Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Eskaton in the capital to help with applications and other related services.
Daily Sun spoke with more than 20 teachers who have not received their benefits.
One of them said she completed her application through a local computer operator, who provided incorrect information. “I have to come to Dhaka from Lakshmipur, which is a hassle for me,” said the woman, wishing not to be named.
Another retired female teacher said she is seriously ill but could not receive treatment, adding that she received less than Tk5,000 in retirement benefits.
A woman from Sirajganj came to claim her college-teacher father’s retirement benefit after he recently died. She echoed the common problem of applicants providing incorrect information while filing applications online through computer operators.
A former secretary went to the TERBB secretary’s room to resolve a problem with his relative’s application. He said the officers were co-operative.
Although TERBB provided benefits to around 70,000 teachers and employees last month, more than 4,000 applicants did not receive their due benefits because of incomplete applications, said Mosharraf.
He said Tk9,000 crore would be required to settle all the pending applications.