"You are teachers. Shouldn't you be satisfied with the respect you get from students in classrooms? Why are you on the streets, running after money?" These are common statements we are being bombarded with from people of other professions following the teachers' strike, which makes us uncomfortable and surprised at the same time.

Coming from a family where my father is a retired administrative officer of a public university, and my brother is an assistant professor at a college, my one and only dream was to be a teacher. I never sat for the BCS exams or worked in any sector except education, because all I wanted to do was spread the little knowledge I acquired from my teachers, and to learn more from my students.

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Pension worries must be resolved

I remember my father and my brother whom I never saw leading a luxurious life, driving a fancy car, or living in a bungalow; and that, I knew from childhood, is the way of life of a middle-class family. As a teacher, I started in the ninth grade, and the salary I received was barely enough to maintain a family of two. In fact, I had to ask for money from my family, even though I was living alone. That is when I realised how necessities most often become luxuries to the family of a teacher.

Many teachers from different public universities, including my friends and colleagues, are pursuing higher degrees abroad, which is needed for further promotions at their workplaces. The financial struggle a lecturer or assistant professor faces even after getting fully funded scholarships—from applying to different international universities to buying plane tickets—is almost never understood by others because, according to many, the passion for learning should be paying the bills!

The questions that come to mind are, why should we feel embarrassed for wanting a secure financial future? Why are we being trolled for asking for a salary without any deduction? Why are we being mocked for supporting the existing pension scheme?

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How universal and egalitarian is the 'universal' pension scheme?

Yes, we have already accepted that our policymakers assume that we do not need a fancy car or a bungalow with numerous domestic help. All we want is to be financially secure after our retirement and for our nominees to feel safe when the pensioner is no more. Isn't that the bare minimum we are asking for?

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the respect we receive does not pay our bills, nor does it allow us to bargain a lower fare with a CNG driver. The admiration and nobility of this profession alone cannot ensure a secure future for our next generation. And, sure, it does not suit "honourable" teachers to be on the streets month after month to regain the minimum rights they had. If it is too difficult to grant us what we deserve, may we use our "passion for learning," "respect for teaching," and "our dignity" as a substitute payment method, please?

Mahabuba Rahman is an assistant professor, Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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