A recruitment circular for the post of assistant teachers in government primary schools is expected to be published shortly.
To this end, the primary and mass education ministry has formed an eight-member “Central Primary School Teacher Recruitment Committee.”
According to a notification issued by the ministry on Sunday, 31 August, the committee has been constituted under the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules, 2025.
The Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education has been appointed as chairman of the committee, while the director (Policy and Operations) of the Directorate of Primary Education will serve as member-secretary.
Other members of the committee include, the additional secretary (Schools) of the ministry, the director general (Revenue) of the Directorate of Primary Education, the director general of the Bureau of Non-Formal Education, the joint secretary (Schools) of the ministry, a representative from the public administration ministry (not below the rank of deputy secretary) and a representative from the Bangladesh Public Service Commission.
Earlier, on 28 August, the ministry issued a gazette notification on the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules, 2025.
According to the new rules, 93 per cent of directly recruitable posts in government primary schools will be filled on merit, while the remaining 7 per cent will be reserved under quotas.
Of these, 5 per cent will be reserved for children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters and Birangona; 1 per cent for candidates from ethnic minority groups; and 1 per cent for candidates with disabilities and those of the third gender.
However, if no eligible candidates are found under the quota system, the vacant posts will be filled purely on merit.
The notification further states that recruitment will be carried out at the upazila level and, in certain cases, at the thana level.
Teachers may be appointed through both direct recruitment and promotion. Additionally, 20 per cent of posts will be reserved for graduates with degrees in science, while the remaining 80 per cent will be reserved for graduates in other disciplines.
For promotion, candidates must have a minimum of 12 years’ service experience, including basic training and confirmation of service, in the post of Assistant Teacher, Assistant Teacher (Music), or Assistant Teacher (Physical Education).
For direct recruitment, candidates must hold a bachelor’s or bachelor’s (honours) degree, or an equivalent qualification, from a recognised university, with at least a second division or equivalent CGPA. At no stage of academic life shall a third division, equivalent GPA, third class, or equivalent CGPA be acceptable. In addition, as specified in Schedule-2 of the Teacher Recruitment Rules, candidates must pass both written and oral examinations.
Previously, under the 2019 Rules, recruitment of assistant teachers in primary schools reserved 60 per cent of posts for women, 20 per cent for men and 20 per cent under the descendant quota. With the enforcement of the new rules, the 2019 Rules shall be deemed repealed.
Mark distribution in teacher recruitment
According to the information provided in Schedule-2 of the Recruitment Rules, appointments to the post of Assistant Teacher will be made through written and oral examinations.
The written examination will cover four subjects - Bangla, English, Mathematics and Daily Science and General Knowledge (Bangladesh and International Affairs). The written examination will carry a total of 90 marks.
Bangla and English will carry 25 marks each, totalling 50 marks, while Mathematics and Daily Science, and General Knowledge (Bangladesh and International Affairs) will carry 20 marks each, totalling 40 marks. Selected candidates who pass the written examination will then appear for an oral examination carrying 10 marks.
The pass mark for the written examination is set at 45 out of 90 (50 per cent) and for the oral examination it is 5 out of 10 (50 per cent). The written test will be of 90 minutes’ duration, while the oral test will have no fixed time limit.
The new rules have also introduced the posts of Assistant Teacher (Music) and Assistant Teacher (Physical Education). Furthermore, the maximum age limit for direct recruitment has been raised to 32 years, whereas previously it was 30 years.
Meanwhile, sources at the Directorate of Primary Education have indicated that approximately 17,000 candidates may be appointed to primary teaching posts.