Dhaka, Bangladesh – The government may announce a large recruitment drive for assistant teachers in government primary schools this August. This could be for around 50,000 positions. The Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) is preparing to release this Primary Job Circular 2025.
A key change in this upcoming Primary Job Circular 2025 might be the absence of the female quota for the first time. Sources at the DPE indicate that a proposal to remove both female and dependent quotas has been put forward. The final decision awaits approval from the relevant ministry. Once approved, a notification will be issued, followed by the job circular. This process might take the next two to three months.
Currently, there are 32,000 vacant head teacher positions in government primary schools. These will be filled by promoting existing assistant teachers. DPE sources also revealed that there are 8,043 vacant assistant teacher posts at present. This number could increase to around 12,000 by the time the Primary Job Circular 2025 is published.
Additionally, 5,166 assistant teachers will be recruited for music and physical education subjects. In total, this could bring the number of new teacher hires to nearly 50,000.
Regarding the new recruitment rules, an official, who wished to remain anonymous, mentioned that a meeting has already taken place. The proposal is now with the cabinet division. If the cabinet committee approves the removal of female and dependent quotas, opinions will be sought from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Law, and the Public Service Commission. After these steps, the new recruitment rules will be officially announced.
The current recruitment process follows the Assistant Teacher Recruitment Rules 2019. This includes a 60% quota for female candidates, a 20% quota for dependents, and a 20% quota for male candidates. The proposed new rules aim to eliminate these specific quotas. However, 20% of the posts may be prioritized for candidates with a science background from recognized universities.
The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has stated that future recruitment will largely follow the latest circular from the Ministry of Public Administration. This circular mandates that 93% of all positions in government, semi-government, and autonomous institutions will be filled based on merit.
The remaining 7% of positions will be filled using a quota system. This includes a 5% quota for children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters, and Birangonas (war heroines). A 1% quota will be for small ethnic groups. Another 1% will be for individuals with disabilities and citizens of the third gender. The other 93% of candidates will be selected based on merit in the Primary Job Circular 2025. Aspiring candidates are advised to keep an eye out for the official announcement.