Govt sets grade-based salaries for imams, muezzins

The government has fixed a grade-based salary structure for imams, muezzins and other mosque staff across the country, issuing the Mosque Management Policy 2025 through a gazette notification on Monday.

The policy, published in a special edition of the Bangladesh Gazette, was formulated by a committee under the Ministry of Religious Affairs following consultations with prominent Islamic scholars and representatives of imam and khatib organisations.

Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain attended the consultation meetings.

Under the policy, mosque personnel—excluding khatibs—have been placed under the National Pay Scale 2015. The grades are as follows: senior pesh imam (Grade 5), pesh imam (Grade 6), imam (Grade 9), chief muezzin (Grade 10), muezzin (Grade 11), chief khadim (Grade 15), and khadim (Grade 16).

Khatibs will be paid according to the terms of their contracts. For financially weak and five-time prayer mosques, salaries and allowances will be set based on financial capacity.

The policy also includes welfare provisions such as family housing arrangements, a monthly savings scheme, and a one-time honorarium upon retirement. Clear leave entitlements have been defined, allowing up to four weekly holidays per month, 20 days of casual leave annually, and one earned leave for every 12 days of service, subject to committee approval.

A seven-member selection committee will be mandatory for recruitment to any mosque position, with appointments prohibited without its recommendation. Appointment letters must clearly specify salary, duties and service conditions.

The 2025 policy further introduces new posts for security guards and cleaners, mandates separate, Shariah-compliant prayer arrangements for women, and increases mosque management committee membership to 15, with flexibility based on mosque income and size.

To address implementation issues, a three-member committee led by the district administration will resolve disputes. With the enforcement of this policy, the Mosque Management Policy 2006 has been repealed.