Verification barrier hits ‘last resort’ for unemployed youth, thousands frustrated

After Maghrib prayers, Fahim’s father called him. From the other end he said, “I arranged a milad at the mosque. So, you will join on the 1st.”

But Fahim could not tell his father that he had still not received his appointment letter. Throughout the day his mother, father and brother kept calling and asking, “When will they give you the appointment letter?”

For Amjad Hossain Fahim, who was finally selected for the post of assistant teacher at a government primary school in Bhola Sadar, October 1 was supposed to mark the beginning of a new life. Believing that he would join his job that day, he had already made preparations.

Fahim supported himself by giving private tuition in Dhaka. He even gave his favorite bicycle to his younger brother because he thought he would move to his village. He had also prepared to pack his books and send them home by courier. Relatives and local residents had also learned that Amjad was returning home and said they would send their children to him for lessons.

But when appointment letter distribution began on September 24, the wait did not end. Instead, a new setback emerged. Despite being finally selected, his name was not on the appointment letter list.

Fahim claimed that he was excluded from the appointment because of a “negative report” in verification by the National Security Intelligence (NSI) and District Special Branch (DSB). He said he does not know why such a report was issued.

Like Fahim, many other candidates who were finally selected for the post of assistant teacher at government primary schools have also alleged that they did not receive appointment letters. Some said it was because of their political ideology. Others said they were not informed about what information had emerged during the verification process. As a result, many have become frustrated after waiting for eight months without receiving their appointment letters.

Government primary school jobs are often described as the “last resort” for educated unemployed people. Those denied appointments have expressed anger over being excluded after verification for these jobs.

Candidates who were denied appointments said nearly 1,000 candidates from at least 27 districts did not receive appointment letters. They claimed the affected candidates include 27 in Chandpur, three in Munshiganj, six in Shariatpur, 12 in Jhalokathi, 24 in Brahmanbaria, 35 in Pabna, 48 in Bogura, 120 in Sunamganj, 59 in Khulna, 52 in Jamalpur and 45 in Pirojpur. They also claimed that 84 candidates in Bhola were among those affected along with candidates from several other districts.

Meanwhile, appointment letters for 14,384 candidates finally selected for the post of assistant teacher at government primary schools began being issued on September 24. They are scheduled to join their respective district primary education offices on October 1 and are planned to be posted from October 4. Instructions for issuing appointment letters include consideration of police verification, intelligence reports, health examinations, drug tests and verification of educational certificates.

However, candidates denied appointments have questioned the transparency of the verification process. Siam Ahmed, a University of Dhaka student who was denied an appointment, claimed that several BNP leaders were contacted about him during the verification process. He said he had voted for Jamaat and that many people in his area knew about it. He believes he may have been excluded because of his political position.

In June 2026, reports emerged that NSI verification had been added to the primary assistant teacher recruitment process for the first time. Before that, police verification of the 14,384 selected candidates had been underway for a long time.

However, questions and discussions about reforming police verification in government recruitment are not new. In December 2024, the Public Administration Reform Commission proposed recommending the removal of police verification in government recruitment and other areas. Later, in July 2025, a recommendation to abolish the practice of finding out political identities through intelligence agencies during government recruitment and promotion also came to the fore.

Amid these discussions, those concerned claimed that denying appointments after verification is inhumane and discriminatory. Abdul Qayyum, another candidate denied an appointment from the University of Dhaka, also expressed his anger on social media. In his words, being excluded during verification after securing his first job in life based on his qualifications was the “biggest trauma” of his life. He demanded accountability from the state on the issue.

Another candidate, Billal Hossain Dipu, said his father was once involved in BNP politics and that he himself had supported BNP. He said he was also active in the July movement and questioned why he was excluded despite not being directly affiliated with any political party.

What Political Parties Are Saying

Political reactions have also emerged over the allegations made by candidates denied appointments. Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Chief Whip of the opposition in parliament, said, “If a candidate is excluded from appointment without a clear and lawful allegation, an explanation is necessary.” He called for an investigation into the verification process and the allegations of candidates being denied appointments.

Dhaka University Chhatra Shibir also demanded in a statement that candidates finally selected on the basis of merit and qualifications not be denied appointments because of their political ideology, identity or family political affiliation. The organization called for transparency and accountability in the verification process and demanded that specific and verifiable reasons be provided in cases involving negative reports.

DUCSU Vice President Sadik Kayem also questioned the exclusion of candidates in the name of verification. He said excluding young people who passed the primary school teacher recruitment examination in the name of verification is an extremely discriminatory, unfair and unjust decision. He said the decision by the BNP government, which came to power through the blood of more than a thousand martyrs, is a clear betrayal of the anti-discrimination July Revolution.

He said merit and qualifications should be the main basis for recruitment to government jobs. If there is a specific allegation against a candidate, the candidate should be informed and given an opportunity to appeal.

Educationist Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair said, “After a candidate passes on merit and qualifications, if they are excluded because of verification, there needs to be a specific reason. If someone is involved in a criminal offense or there is serious security related information, that is a different matter. But no one should be deprived of a government job because of their political ideology or family identity.”

Announcement of Movement

Meanwhile, candidates denied appointments have announced that they will launch a movement demanding their appointment letters. They will gather in front of the Central Library of the University of Dhaka on September 28 as part of the program. DUCSU International Affairs Secretary Khan Jasim has already expressed solidarity with their program.

What the Directorate of Primary Education Says

Shahina Ferdousi, director general of the Directorate of Primary Education, told the media, “The appointment letters have been sent by post. Therefore, they may take some time to reach many areas. That is why we have set October 1 as the joining date. If the candidates wait a few more days, they will also receive their appointment letters.”

Asked whether any candidates had been excluded after the new NSI verification, she said, “It is not yet time to specify which candidates have been excluded.