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Representational image. | File Photo

The assistant teachers of government primary schools who had their appointment cancelled because of a court order vowed on Tuesday to continue with their protests demanding their reinstatement while the Supreme Court has posted the full-court hearing of a government review appeal for March 2.

On the day, chamber judge Md Rezaul Haque set the date but did not stay the High Court order that cancelled their appointment, leaving the appointments void until the further ruling.


The High Court on February 6 declared illegal and scrapped the November 20, 2024 appointment of 6,531 assistant teachers in government primary schools in Dhaka and

Chattogram based on job quotas as per the 2019 recruitment rules.

The 2019 recruitment rules allow 60 per cent quota for women, 20 per cent for wards and 20 per cent for males in recruiting teachers for government primary schools.

The HC ruling came in response to a writ petition filed in November 2024 by 30 job seekers challenging the legality of the recruitment process.

The High Court directed the Directorate of Primary and Mass Education to publish fresh recruitment results based on the quota system mandated by the public administration ministry on July 23, 2024. This was in line with the Appellate Division鈥檚 July 21, 2024 verdict, which restructured the quota system in government jobs to 5 per cent for freedom fighters鈥� children, 1 per cent each for national minorities, persons with disabilities, and third-gender individuals.

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and lawyer Muntasir Uddin Ahmed, representing the Directorate of Primary and Mass Education, argued before the Appellate Division that the results were published based on the public administration ministry鈥檚 advice, which suggested following the 2019 recruitment rules as the process had begun before the Supreme Court鈥� quota restructuring verdict.

On the other hand, senior lawyers Zainul Abedin and Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan, representing the petitioners, opposed the appointments, arguing that the recruitment process violated the updated quota structure set by the Supreme Court.

The recommended primary teachers whose appointments were cancelled at a press briefing in front of the Bangladesh National Museum at Shahbagh in Dhaka on Tuesday said that they were staging demonstrations for 13 days in a row and announced to continue their protests until their demand for reinstatement of their jobs was met.

鈥榃e respect the court鈥檚 decision. We expect that the verdict will be made considering our sufferings and realities,鈥� said Talukdar Pias, on behalf of the protesters, at the press briefing.

On February 10, 13 and 16, police used batons, water cannons, sound grenades and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters from Shahbagh and near the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital, leaving some of them injured. Police had picked up some protesters but released them later.

The Directorate of Primary Education on February 13 appealed against the High Court verdict.

The recommended teachers have been staging demonstrations since the High Court鈥檚 February 6 verdict.