The Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) initially planned to hold the primary assistant teachers’ recruitment examination in violation of government policy by allowing class eight–passed individuals to serve as scribes for candidates with disabilities, before later reversing the decision and aligning with the Ministry of Public Administration’s rules.
Candidates with visual impairment or those unable to write independently require the assistance of a scribe during written examinations.
On July 11, 2023, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a policy setting the eligibility criteria for scribes.
Under the policy, in recruitment examinations requiring an honours degree or equivalent qualification, a scribe must have passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or an equivalent examination.
The written examination, scheduled to be held on Friday, aims to recruit around 14,000 primary assistant teachers under the DPE. More than a hundred candidates with disabilities, including visually impaired individuals and those unable to write independently, are set to participate in the exam.
When contacted regarding the matter, Al Mamun, an official from the Regulation-1 wing of the Ministry of Public Administration, told Dhaka Tribune that no recruiting authority is allowed to conduct examinations in violation of the ministry’s existing policy.
“There is no scope for any recruiting organisation to hold an examination outside the framework of the policy set by the Ministry of Public Administration,” he said, adding that if the Directorate of Primary Education has objections, it may submit a written proposal seeking amendment, but cannot formulate or apply its own policy independently.
He also advised contacting the DPE director general for further clarification.
Later, when Dhaka Tribune reached out to the DPE director general, he acknowledged that the directorate had initially taken a different decision but had since reversed it.
“We had initially decided on our own, but later withdrew from it. We have now decided to appoint scribes for visually impaired and other candidates with disabilities strictly in accordance with the policy of the Ministry of Public Administration,” the director general said.
The decision has been welcomed by disability rights advocates, who have long emphasised the need for uniform and rights-based implementation of accommodation policies to ensure equal participation of persons with disabilities in public recruitment processes.
