Bangladesh Overhauls Primary School Teacher Transfer Process Through Multi-Tiered Committee System

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The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has introduced a comprehensive new framework for the transfer of government primary school teachers, establishing a tiered committee structure to streamline the process from the local to the national level. Under the new policy, committees at the upazila, district, divisional, and national levels will be tasked with evaluating and approving transfer applications on a monthly basis to ensure transparency and consistency in teacher deployment.

At the national level, the committee is led by the secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, supported by the director general of the Directorate of Primary Education and an additional secretary from the ministry who serves as member-secretary. This body is responsible for overseeing inter-divisional and inter-city corporation transfers. It will also ensure that teachers who were previously granted transfers conditional upon replacement are prioritized for placement in the respective schools.

Divisional committees, chaired by the divisional commissioner, will manage transfers within their respective divisions, excluding city corporations. Comprising the divisional deputy director of secondary and higher education, two nominated individuals, and the divisional deputy director of primary education as member-secretary, this committee will submit detailed meeting records and reports to the Directorate of Primary Education. Similar to the national body, it holds the authority to approve applications and issue transfer orders through the relevant divisional deputy director.

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The district-level committees, headed by the deputy commissioner, are tasked with managing internal district transfers and overseeing the placement of newly recruited assistant teachers. These placements for new hires will be determined through a lottery system at the upazila level. The district committee, which includes the district education officer, two nominated members, and the district primary education officer as member-secretary, will process applications and authorize orders through the district primary education office.

At the local level, upazila or thana committees chaired by the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) will handle applications within their jurisdictions. Working alongside the upazila secondary education officer and two nominated members, the upazila primary education officer—acting as member-secretary—will facilitate the approval and issuance of transfer orders. Across all levels of the new administrative hierarchy, the government has mandated that schools previously awaiting replacements must be treated as a priority for new staff allocations, ensuring that pedagogical continuity is maintained in institutions with historically low teacher-to-student ratios.