Appellate Division suspends order to shut schools during Ramadan

The government’s decision to keep schools open for the initial 18 days of Ramadan will remain in effect for now

The High Court’s directive to shutter secondary and lower-secondary schools throughout Ramadan has been suspended by the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division.

It keeps the government’s plan to run classes during the first 18 days of the month intact for now.

Justice Farah Mahbub issued the stay on Monday.

The order came after a hearing on a petition filed by the education secretary.

Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque, assisted by Assistant Attorney General Maria Tanjimath, represented the state in court.

According to Monday’s docket of the Appellate Division, the High Court’s directive will remain suspended until the state files a regular leave-to-appeal petition.

So, the High Court’s directive will not be enforced for the time being.

Earlier, the High Court had ordered secondary schools closed for the entire month to address disparities between madrasas and general educational institutions.

The ruling followed a preliminary hearing of a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Elyas Ali Mondal.

The bench, comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Asif Hasan, issued the directive on Sunday.

The HC order had suspended the government’s plan, with the holiday initially scheduled to begin Feb 18.

Mondal had argued that madrasa closures were already set from Feb 15 to Mar 26, while general schools were instructed to remain open, creating discriminatory treatment within the same education system.

The writ also cited the difficulty for fasting students to attend classes and the severe traffic congestion in major cities caused by keeping schools open.

The petition, filed on Jan 16, named six respondents, including the education secretary, challenging the legality of keeping schools open during Ramadan.