For all latest news, follow the Daily Sun's Google News channel.
Thousands of government school teachers and education cadre officials are waiting years beyond the stipulated period for promotion, with some retiring without ever advancing, according to teachers and Ministry of Education data.
Sihab Uddin, a government primary school teacher in Chattogram, has served 25 years and submitted his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) five times in the hope of becoming head teacher. Each time the process failed to deliver the post.
Asked to submit it again, he said, “If I have to submit it again, I will not seek the head teacher post.”
Three teachers from Lalmai, Cumilla, retired without the promotions they had hoped for: Delwar Hossain of Jamua Government Primary School, Bashir Ullah, acting head teacher of Raipur Government Primary School, and Sharif Sardar, acting head teacher of Konokshree Government Primary School.
Secondary schools
Raihanul Islam (pseudonym) joined a government secondary school as an assistant teacher in 2011 and remains in the same post.
He said only about 5% of secondary school teachers have a chance of promotion.
Under existing rules, an assistant teacher becomes eligible for promotion to assistant head teacher after eight years, and to head teacher after a further three.
He said complications arose after the senior teacher post was created, and the process has effectively stalled.
Most government secondary schools are now run by acting head teachers, while assistant head teacher posts are being filled on an acting-charge basis. A promotion due after eight years is still pending after 16.
Colleges and the education cadre
The situation is similar in colleges. Officials of the 33rd BCS who joined government colleges as lecturers in 2014 waited 12 years for promotion to assistant professor.An education cadre officer from that batch, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “I joined the education cadre out of my love for teaching. But staying in the same position for such a long time has made me feel socially humiliated. Meanwhile, officers from other cadres have received promotions much more easily and moved ahead in their careers.”
According to the Ministry of Education, 2,823 education cadre lecturers were eligible for promotion to assistant professor in 2025, but only 1,870 were promoted that year.
BCS officials are generally expected to move from the ninth grade to the sixth after five years of service, subject to conditions and the availability of posts. Officers of the 36th, 37th and 38th BCS batches in the education cadre are now eligible, with
1,698 reportedly in the queue.
In other cadres, 36th BCS officials received their first promotion in 2023 and 37th BCS officials in 2024.
Many 38th BCS officers have also become eligible, and some have already been promoted. Promotion in the education cadre has reached only the 35th BCS.
ASM Shariful Islam, president of the 37th BCS General Education Cadre Association, said officials of his batch have served as lecturers for nine years.
“Staying in the same position for such a long time is causing various psychological problems for the officials,” he said.
“The impact is being felt not only in their professional lives but also in the classroom and other aspects of their work.”
Primary schools
Promotion of government primary school teachers was stalled for a long time by litigation. A recent court verdict has cleared the legal obstacles, but the process has yet to resume. Sources said the government is working to restart it and is considering a new policy.
Of 65,457 sanctioned head teacher posts in government primary schools, 34,159 are vacant. Many assistant teachers are performing head teachers’ duties on an acting-charge basis.
Mohibullah, an assistant teacher at a government primary school, said, “Promotion is not only about financial benefits; it is also a matter of professional recognition and dignity. Teachers who have served for years with dedication deserve proper career opportunities. No teacher should have to end their career waiting for promotion.”
World Teachers’ Day
The government is honouring 100 outstanding teachers at the national level for the first time today, World Teachers’ Day.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will confer the “Guni Shikshak Sammanana” at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, and hand over Tk2 lakh in cash, crests and certificates.
The Ministry of Education raised the number of award recipients from 12 to 100 this year, including 10 at primary level, 20 at secondary level and 25 at colleges.
The day’s theme is “Standing with Teachers: Sixty Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status, Shaping Our Futures”. Institutions at upazila, district and national levels are expected to observe the day under ministry guidelines.