The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, has ruled that there is no restriction on keeping schools open during Ramadan. The decision comes after staying the High Court’s order that temporarily halted the government’s decision to keep primary and secondary schools operational during the month of Ramadan.
Attorney General AM Amin, who represented the state, argued that keeping schools open during Ramadan is a government policy decision. He emphasized that this practice is consistent with other Muslim-majority countries worldwide. However, senior lawyer AKM Faiz, standing for the writ, contended that Bangladesh is unique, and keeping schools open during Ramadan poses challenges for parents and students, leading to traffic congestion.
The High Court on Sunday (10 March) stayed for two months the government’s decision to keep the primary and secondary schools open in the first 10 and 15 days of Ramadan, respectively. During the hearing, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state in court, while senior lawyer AKM Faiz represented the petitioner.
On 8 February, the government amended the holiday list for educational institutions, keeping the regular activities of secondary schools open for 15 days during the month of Ramadan. The Education Ministry issued a notice in this regard.
The Primary and Mass Education Ministry issued another notice to keep the activities of primary schools during the month of Ramadan for ten days.
Advocate Md Ilias Ali Mandal, a guardian, filed a writ petition on 25 February, challenging the two orders of the government.