Appellate Division upholds HC order halting appointments of primary teachers

The Appellate Division has upheld the High Court order staying a government decision to appoint some 6,000 candidates to the post of assistant teachers of government primary schools.

The bench headed by Appellate Division Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam gave the order today (9 December ) after scrapping the appeal of the Directorate of Primary Education against the HC order.

At the same time, the court ordered that the HC rule issued in this regard be disposed of by 25 January. 

According to lawyers, the primary recruitment process will remain suspended during this period.

Lawyers AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Ruhul Quddus Kajal argued for the court, while lawyer Zainul Abedin was in the opposition.

Earlier on 19 November, the HC stayed the government decision to grant appointment letters to the 6,531 candidates who qualified in the third phase for the post of assistant teachers of government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions.

The HC bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi issued the order and rule following a hearing on a writ petition filed by 30 candidates challenging the legality of the government decision.

The order suspended the recruitment process for six months. 

As a result, the recruitment of the assistant teachers had been postponed.

The court had also issued a rule seeking an explanation from authorities concerned why the failure or inaction in holding a fair examination for the appointment of assistant teachers would not be declared illegal.

Moreover, the HC sought to know why directives wouldn't be given to hold fresh examinations as per the previous circular issued on 14 June last year.

Lawyer Barrister Syed Sayedul Hoque Suman who represented the petitioners in court had said the question paper of the third phase of the government primary school assistant teacher recruitment test was leaked and many students took the test.

Because of this, the published results have also been questioned. 

Some examinees from Dhaka and Chattogram filed a writ petition with the court seeking a stay on the investigation and examination process, he said.

The results of the written (MCQ) examination for the post of assistant teacher in government primary school were published on 21 April. 

The revised results of the written examination were published the next day and its viva test started on 9 May.

On 25 April, a national daily circulated a report with the headline "Solve in Dhaka, leaked in Madaripur: Primary Teacher Recruitment Test''.

Later, 16 teacher aspirants who sat for the written test filed the writ petition, then the court held the hearing.