The High Court has ordered the closure of all secondary and junior secondary schools throughout the month of Ramadan.
The directive came on Sunday following a hearing on a writ petition before a bench comprising Justice Fahmida Kader and Justice Md Asif Hasan.
The court also issued a rule asking why decisions to close schools and madrasas on different dates should not be declared illegal and unconstitutional. The education secretary and other respondents have been asked to reply within four weeks.
On 20 January, Supreme Court lawyer Md Iliyas Ali Mondal filed the writ petition seeking closure of schools from the first day of Ramadan until 7 March. He argued the case in court, after which the judges ordered that schools remain closed for the entire month of Ramadan. Mondal later confirmed the order to TIMES of Bangladesh.
Earlier, on 5 January, a legal notice had been sent to the government demanding closure of secondary and lower secondary schools during Ramadan.
The notice stated that 98 percent of Bangladesh’s citizens are Muslim, and since independence, schools have traditionally remained closed during Ramadan in line with law, custom, and policy.
The notice further argued that young students attending classes all day face difficulty fasting, which could discourage them from observing religious practices. It also noted that keeping schools open during Ramadan worsens traffic congestion in cities, causing severe suffering for residents. As no effective action was taken after the legal notice, the writ petition was filed.
