Court lifts suspension on primary teachers’ recruitment

The Chamber Judge Court has lifted the suspension on the recruitment process for 46,000 primary school teachers in Dhaka and Chittagong divisions, initially halted due to allegations of question leakage.

The order was passed by Justice M Enayetur Rahim of the Appellate Division on Thursday, following a petition challenging the High Court’s previous order.

However, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been tasked with investigating these allegations.

The court has mandated that the results of the oral examinations cannot be published until the CID submits its inquiry report.

On May 28, the High Court suspended the recruitment process for six months and ordered an investigation into the alleged question paper leak.

The High Court bench, comprising Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolan, issued the order after hearing a writ petition filed by candidates from Dhaka and Chittagong.

Barrister Syed Syedul Haque Sumon represented the petitioners, while Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy appeared for the state.

Barrister Sumon explained that the leak allegedly affected the third phase of the recruitment exam for government primary school assistant teachers, raising questions about the integrity of the published results.

Consequently, some candidates filed a petition in the High Court seeking an investigation and suspension of the recruitment process. The High Court granted their plea, halting the process for six months.

The Directorate of Primary Education had earlier issued notifications for teacher recruitment in three phases: Rangpur, Sylhet, and Barisal divisions on February 28 last year; Rajshahi, Khulna, and Mymensingh divisions on March 22; and Dhaka and Chittagong divisions on June 17.

A total of 360,700 candidates applied in the first phase, 459,438 in the second phase, and 340,000 in the third phase.

On April 22, the revised results of the written examination for the third phase (covering 21 districts of Dhaka and Chittagong Divisions, excluding three hilly districts) were published, with 46,199 candidates selected for the oral examination.

Despite the ongoing oral exams, the High Court's order had initially halted the recruitment process. This order has now been lifted by the Chamber Judge Court, pending the CID’s investigation.