The High Court today stayed the results of government primary school teacher recruitment tests in eight more districts for six months over charges of violating result publishing rules.

The eight districts are -- Natore, Pabna, Gaibandha, Laxmipur, Patuakhali, Faridpur, Gopalganj and Kishoreganj.

The court also ordered the district education officers (DEOs) of Laxmipur and Faridpur not to send appointment letters.

At the same time, the HC issued two separate rules asking the government to explain in four weeks why the recruitment test results of the eight districts should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Mahmud Hasan Talukder came up with the orders and rules following two separate writ petitions challenging the test results published in December last year, filed by 46 examines who could not pass the viva voce.

The HC bench earlier stayed the results of government primary school teacher recruitment tests in more than 25 districts on similar grounds, Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar told The Daily Star.

Advocate Md Asad Uddin, a lawyer for petitioners of the seven districts, told The Daily Star that as per section 7 of the primary teacher recruitment rules 2013, 60 percent of such teachers will be appointed from female candidates, 20 percent from “posshya” (dependent) quota and 20 percent from male candidates.

But the conditions were not followed, the lawyer said.    

Following another writ petition, the HC on January 19 stayed the results of the recruitment tests in 14 districts for six months on charges of violations of the relevant rules.

The 14 districts are: Patuakhali, Madaripur, Sirajganj, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Habiganj, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Noakhali, Jashore, Satkhira, Tangail, Barguna and Thakurgaon.