About 44,000 applications filed by retired MPO-enlisted teachers and employees for welfare benefits remain pending due to a persistent financial shortfall in the Non-Government Educational Institutions Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust, education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told the Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday.

Responding to a starred question from Jashore-4 lawmaker Md Golam Rasul during the second session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, the minister stated in a written reply that applications submitted between August 2023 and June 8, 2026 were still awaiting disposal.

He explained that the welfare trust, established under the Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust Act 1990 and its 1999 regulations, is financed through a 4 per cent contribution deducted from the monthly salaries of MPO-enlisted teachers and employees.

According to the minister, the trust’s annual income currently stands at around Tk 684 crore, generated from members’ contributions and investment profits.

‘However, about Tk 840 crore is needed each year to provide welfare benefits to retired teachers and employees, leaving an annual deficit of approximately Tk 156 crore,’ he said.

In his written response, Milon noted that welfare benefits amounting to Tk 553.63 crore had been disbursed among 9,284 retired teachers and employees during the 2025–26 fiscal year.

He added that all applications submitted up to April 30, 2023 had already been settled, with payments transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the iBAS++ system.

Applications submitted in June and July 2023 have also been processed, and preparations for their payment have been completed, the minister concluded.