Education Minister Responds to Hasnat on School Admission Lottery System

Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon has stated that a final decision on whether to replace the current lottery-based admission system for primary schools with a merit-based or examination system will be made in 2027.

He made the remark while answering a supplementary question from Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) MP Hasnat Abdullah during the question-answer session on the second day of the first sitting of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) today, Sunday (15 March).

The minister said: “Our country’s education system has two sections—rural and urban. In rural areas, where pre-primary schools exist and student numbers are not highly competitive, admission problems are minimal. However, in Dhaka and other major cities, there is a real challenge for primary-level admissions. The previous government introduced the lottery system to address this complexity. But how reasonable that system is remains questionable.

Next year, we will formally consult stakeholders—particularly parents—through seminars and discussions to gather opinions on the admission process. After forming a public consensus, we will decide on the admission procedure for January 2027.”

Earlier, the first session of the 13th Parliament began on Thursday. On that day, Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman delivered the opening speech. Veteran politician and MP Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain was unanimously elected as the presiding member. Under his chairmanship, the election of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker was completed.

Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (Bir Bikrom) took oath as Speaker and Barrister Kaiser Kamal as Deputy Speaker. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered their oaths in a ceremony at the President’s Office at noon.

The new Speaker, Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, presented the condolence motion. Discussions were held on former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and the martyrs of the July mass uprising. Following tradition, President Mohammed Shahabuddin then delivered his address to the House.