The High Court has annulled the appointment of 6,531 assistant teachers in government primary schools across Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, instructing that all future recruitments be conducted solely on the basis of merit.
The verdict was delivered on Thursday (6 February), by a High Court bench comprising Justices Fatema Najib and Shikdar Mahmudur Razi.
Previously, on 19 November, the same bench had suspended the appointment letters of these candidates, raising concerns over the application of quota policies in their recruitment. The court also issued a rule, questioning the legality of the process.
The final results of the third phase of assistant teacher recruitment for government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions (excluding the three hill districts) were published on 31 October. A total of 6,531 candidates had been declared successful, with the results made available on the Directorate of Primary Education’s website.
This legal contention stems from a circular issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on 23 July, which amended the quota system and revoked all previous related circulars and directives, including one issued on 4 October 2018.
Despite these amendments, the recruitment process for the 6,531 candidates adhered to the 2019 Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules, which maintained a 60% quota for women, 20% for descendants of freedom fighters, and 4% for other categories.
This adherence to outdated quota regulations led to legal challenges, prompting a writ petition before the High Court.
Following the hearing, the court had initially stayed the recruitment process for six months before ultimately delivering its verdict to cancel the appointments.
The ruling has significant implications for future recruitment processes, reinforcing the emphasis on meritocracy over quota-based considerations.
