More than 80,000 applications from retired teachers and employees of non-government educational institutions seeking retirement benefits are pending, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament today.

Responding to a question from MP Nurul Islam during the question-and-answer session, the minister said the Non-Government Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust and the Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefits Board have received a total of 80,320 applications.

Of these, 64,775 were submitted up to June 30, 2025, while an estimated 15,545 were filed in the 2025–26 fiscal year, he added.

The minister said Tk 9,638 crore is required to settle all the applications. However, the projected income of the two bodies for the current fiscal year is Tk 2,462 crore, leaving a funding shortfall of around Tk 7,176 crore. At present, nearly 59,820 applications remain unresolved.

He said the government has taken steps to address the financial crisis of the retirement benefits board and the welfare trust by allocating necessary funds. Measures have also been introduced to expedite the disposal of applications, including restarting software systems, increasing manpower, expanding online services and enabling direct transfer of retirement benefits to beneficiaries' bank accounts through the iBAS++ system.

Replying to another question from MP Manjurul Haque, the minister said the Ministry of Education has arranged to pay arrears of salaries and allowances to MPO-listed teachers and employees whose payments had remained pending due to criminal cases during the previous Awami League government.

He said eligible teachers and employees will receive the arrears in accordance with existing rules after submitting the required applications and supporting documents.