HC orders: Keep schools closed in Ramadan

Staff Reporter:

The High Court on Sunday directed the government to keep all government and non-government lower secondary and secondary schools closed for the entire month of Ramadan.

The order was passed after hearing a writ petition by a bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan, petitioner’s lawyer Advocate Md Ilias Ali Mandal confirmed.

However, the court clarified that any examinations scheduled during Ramadan must continue as planned.

Earlier, Advocate Ilias filed the writ petition with the High Court, seeking directives to close schools during the holy month. Prior to that, on 5 January, he served a legal notice to the government, addressed to the secretaries of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.

The notice stated that about 98 percent of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim and that, since independence, educational institutions have traditionally remained closed during Ramadan.

It argued that this long-standing practice constitutes law, policy, and custom, and therefore should continue.
Citing Articles 31 and 152(1) of the Constitution, the notice claimed that any move to keep schools open during Ramadan would be unconstitutional.

It also noted that long school hours could cause fatigue among fasting students, discouraging them from observing religious obligations, and warned that keeping schools open would worsen traffic congestion in urban areas.

As the government did not respond to the legal notice, the writ petition was subsequently filed, leading to Sunday’s order.