The High Court on Monday asked the government to explain within two weeks why its decision to cancel the posts of music teacher and physical training instructor in government primary schools should not be declared illegal.
A bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Ashif Hasan issued the rule after hearing a public interest litigation filed by Supreme Court lawyer Sarwat Siraj Shukla. The petition challenged the November 2 gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, which abolished the two posts by amending the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules 2025.
The interim government had earlier created the posts of assistant music teacher and assistant physical training instructor through a notification on August 28, 2025.
The creation of these posts sparked protests from Islamist groups, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh, who demanded that music teachers be replaced with religious instruction teachers.
In response, several socio-cultural organisations in the past week urged the government to withdraw the cancellation order and restore the earlier notification creating the posts.
The court asked the secretaries of the education and primary and mass education ministries, as well as the chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, to respond to the rule within two weeks.
Sarwat Siraj Shukla appeared in person before the court in support of the petition.
