School Admission Tests Return After 16 Years

In a major policy shift, the government is set to reintroduce competitive admission examinations for school enrollment starting from the 2027 academic session, effectively ending a 16-year reliance on the lottery system. Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced the decision during a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday, June 18.

The shift marks a complete departure from the enrollment policies instituted by the previous Awami League administration. The lottery-based admission model was first made mandatory for Class One in government secondary schools ahead of the 2011 academic session to curb intense competition among toddlers, and was subsequently extended to private institutions.

Later, amid the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic in the 2021 academic session, the digital lottery system was expanded universally across the country for all classes from Class One to Class Nine. Following the formation of the new government in February, the new education leadership has chosen to reverse the policy.

A Simplified Examination Combined with Catchment Areas

Addressing deep-seated concerns regarding the psychological and financial pressure on young children, the Education Minister clarified that the primary school entrance examinations would be simplified to prevent the commercial expansion of coaching centers.

"Regarding the primary admission test—it will be nominal. There will be absolutely no scope or need for children to attend coaching centers to prepare for this. Simultaneously, we are developing a catchment area framework. Admissions will be coordinated based on seat capacity by combining both the catchment area proximity and the examination results."

— Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon, Education Minister

The Minister openly acknowledged that the historical admission test framework used prior to 2011 was plagued by deep institutional irregularities, corruption, and nepotism, which originally prompted the shift to a lottery system. He noted that the ministry is actively reviewing past administrative failures to design a balanced, stress-free evaluation system for children.

The reintroduction of the exam ends over a decade of the lottery mechanism, which proponents had argued ensured equitable access but critics claimed bypassed traditional academic merit. The Ministry of Education stated it will release the complete operational guidelines and coordination matrix for the catchment-plus-exam system well ahead of the 2027 enrollment cycle.