Primary head teacher promotion now requires 12 years’ experience

The government has issued new regulations for teacher recruitment in government primary schools, introducing major changes in eligibility, quotas, and promotion criteria.

Under the new rules, the experience requirement for promotion to head teacher has been increased for divisional candidates or assistant teachers. To qualify for promotion, assistant teachers must now have 12 years of service experience.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education issued the notification on Thursday night (28 August). It was signed by Ministry Secretary Abu Taher Md. Masud Rana in accordance with the President’s order.

Previously, under the 2019 recruitment regulations, divisional candidates or assistant teachers needed eight years of service to be eligible for promotion to head teacher.

According to Schedule-1, Rule-2(g) of the new regulations, 80% of head teacher positions will be filled through promotion and 20% through direct recruitment. If no eligible candidates are available for promotion, vacant positions will be filled through direct recruitment.

For promotion, an assistant teacher—including assistant teacher (music) or assistant teacher (physical education)—must have completed basic training, obtained permanent employment, and have at least 12 years of service experience.

For direct recruitment, candidates must hold a bachelor’s or honours degree (or equivalent) with at least a second-class or equivalent CGPA from a recognized university. Any third-class or equivalent CGPA at any level of education will not be accepted. Candidates must also pass both written and oral examinations, as outlined in Schedule-2 of the regulations.

The new regulations take immediate effect. Once the Government Primary School Teacher Recruitment Regulations, 2025, are in force, the previous 2019 regulations will be considered void.

According to the Directorate of Primary Education, recruitment notifications for nearly 13,500 vacant assistant teacher positions may be issued this month. Promotion and direct recruitment processes will also begin soon for a large number of head teacher vacancies in nearly 40,000 government primary schools across the country.