The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has approved an order allowing 14,384 recommended assistant teachers at government primary schools to join their posts. This removes the last obstacle to their joining by October 1, and there is no longer any uncertainty over their posting right after joining. Two officials from the ministry and the Directorate of Primary Education’s Policy and Operations division confirmed the development on Thursday (September 17).
A directorate official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “We have received the administrative order to send more than 14,000 assistant teachers’ joining letters to their respective district primary education offices. Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon signed it on Thursday. Once the order reaches the directorate from the ministry, we will instruct the district primary education offices.” He said the directorate plans to begin the joining process from the last week of September, and will implement that plan once instructed by the ministry. “We hope all recommended assistant teachers will have their joining letters in hand by October 1. They will then be posted,” he said.
The assistant teachers will be posted immediately after joining, but will not take classes right away. The new teachers will go into training after joining, and will only begin taking classes once that training is complete. National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) director general Farid Ahmed said new teachers would not be sent into classrooms before training. “Training is an important part of the job. It should begin as soon as posting happens. Two months of training will be given, after which they can take classes at school. Sending them to classes before that would not be appropriate,” he said.
The recruitment exam for the 14,000 primary teachers was conducted somewhat hastily under the interim government, and the BNP government raised questions about it after taking office. Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon himself spoke at numerous briefings and events about irregularities, corruption and haste in that recruitment exam, and later said passing training would be a condition for recommended candidates to join. The ministry has since stepped back from that strict stance, with the minister saying no one would be excluded from the training evaluation. Asked about this, NAPE director general Farid Ahmed, who prepared the training module, said: “I don’t think anyone’s appointment will be cancelled for failing to pass the training. But whether such a provision will be added to the training module is something the Primary and Mass Education Ministry would have to say.”
A written, MCQ-type exam for assistant teacher recruitment was held simultaneously in 61 of the country’s districts (excluding the three hill districts) on January 9, with 69,265 candidates who passed selected for an oral exam. The final results for assistant teacher recruitment at government primary schools were published on February 8, initially selecting 14,384 candidates, with a district-wise list of successful candidates also released. Despite passing both the written and oral exams and completing every step of the process, the finally recommended teachers had still not been able to join. Facing protests from the recommended teachers, the ministry has now announced they will join and be posted by October 1.