Supreme Court clears way for 32,000 primary school head teacher appointments

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has removed legal barrier to the appointment of nearly 32,000 head teachers in government primary schools across the country, ending a dispute that had stalled the recruitment process for more than a decade.

A four-member bench headed by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury passed the order on Thursday (July 2), allowing the government's appeal and overturning the legal obstacle surrounding the appointments.

Attorney General Barrister Md. Ruhul Quddus Kajal appeared for the state during the hearing.

Following the judgment, the Attorney General said the ruling would have a positive impact on the country's primary education system by enabling the government to complete the delayed appointments.

According to the case records, a group of government primary school assistant teachers filed a writ petition with the High Court in 2017 seeking recognition of 50 percent of their service period for preparing the gradation list, determining seniority, fixing the pay scale for head teachers and securing related financial and administrative benefits.

After issuing a rule, the High Court on March 11, 2019, partly accepted the petition.

The government later challenged that verdict before the Appellate Division.