6,531 primary school teachers to be appointed on Tuesday

The ministry orders district offices to ensure selected candidates report within Mar 12

A total of 6,531 candidates who were recommended for assistant teacher jobs in government primary schools in the Dhaka and Chattogram divisions will receive their appointment letters on Tuesday.

The development follows a Supreme Court ruling that overturned the High Court’s decision that had scrapped their earlier appointments.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has granted administrative approval for the issuance of appointment letters, joining procedures, and assignment of workstations.

In a directive issued after Monday afternoon, the ministry ordered the Directorate of Primary Education to issue the appointment letters on Tuesday.

It also ordered the Directorate to ensure that the selected candidates report to district primary education offices within Mar 12.

Earlier in the day, the Appellate Division stayed the High Court’s ruling that had annulled the results of 6,531 selected candidates for primary school teacher posts.

The candidates had been ordered to join their positions within one month.

The leave to appeal filed by the Directorate of Primary Education was granted by the Appellate Division, clearing the path for the candidates who had been protesting in the capital since Feb 7.

Later that evening, the Directorate was instructed to approve their joining.

Md Jahangir Alam Khan, deputy chief information officer of the primary and mass education ministry, confirmed the ministry’s directive to bdnews24.com.

The ministry’s order says appointment letters will be issued on Tuesday for candidates who have completed their health checks and submitted the required documents.

The candidates must report to their respective district primary education offices within Mar 12.

For police verification, the completed forms of the candidates must be submitted to the district police superintendents or the relevant authorities within Mar 13.

Their workplace will be designated on that same day.

However, if any candidate does not receive their appointment letter or fails to join their assigned school, a list with the reasons and opinions must be sent to the Directorate of Primary Education on Mar 20.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, excited candidates withdrew their protests and announced plans to return to their districts to take up their jobs.

On Oct 31, the final results of the third phase were published after selecting 6,531 candidates as assistant teachers in government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, except the three hill districts.

The notification for the appointment was issued on Jun 14, 2023.

However, on Feb 6, the High Court cancelled the appointments of candidates selected under a quota from these divisions, ordering a fresh merit-based selection process.

The verdict followed a writ petition, which led the court to issue a rule on Nov 19, 2023, and suspend the recruitment process for six months, halting the appointment of the candidates.

The candidates have been protesting since then, blocking Shahbagh multiple times to demand the reinstatement of their appointments. On each occasion, they were forcibly removed by law enforcement.

They later threatened to carry out "mass suicide", staging a "symbolic hanging" protest outside the National Museum in Dhaka’s Shahbagh to voice their desperation on Saturday.