Appellate Division suspends High Court‍‍`s ruling on 6,531 primary teacher appointments

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has suspended the High Court’s decision that had canceled the appointment letters for 6,531 assistant teachers in government primary schools in Dhaka and Chittagong divisions. 

The ruling came on Monday, March 3, from a bench led by Senior Justice Mohammad Ashfaqul Islam.

This decision comes after the Primary Education Directorate filed an appeal to delay the High Court‍‍`s order. 

The Directorate had previously been scheduled to appear before the court on Sunday but requested additional time to make their case.

Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman and lawyer Muntasir Uddin Ahmed represented the Directorate in the court.

The controversy started after the High Court issued a verdict on February 6, which ruled to annul the recruitment of 6,531 teachers, who had passed the final exams for assistant teacher positions in government primary schools. 

The court instructed that the recruitment process be carried out again, this time based on merit. Following the judgment, many of the teachers who had been deprived of their jobs expressed their dissatisfaction, holding protests across the country.

On the other hand, the Primary Education Directorate, which had already completed the recruitment process, filed an appeal to stay the High Court‍‍`s ruling. The Appellate Division set March 2 as the date for the hearing of the appeal.

The recruitment process started with the publication of a notification on June 14, 2023, for assistant teacher positions in government primary schools. 

Afterward, 6,531 candidates were selected, and the final results of the recruitment exam were announced on October 31, 2023. 

The Directorate planned to issue appointment letters to the selected candidates on November 20. 

However, concerns were raised about the non-compliance with the quota regulations, outlined in a gazette published on July 23. 

As a result, a separate writ petition was filed in the High Court, challenging the legality of the final results.

Now, with the Appellate Division‍‍`s suspension of the High Court’s ruling, the fate of these 6,531 assistant teachers remains uncertain.