The government has decided to abolish the lottery system for school admissions and replace it with a test-based admission process, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced on Monday.
“Lottery cannot exist in any education system. We have withdrawn the lottery system,” he told a press conference at the education ministry this afternoon, explaining that the move followed consultations with stakeholders.
After a month-long review of the issue, the minister stated, “Lottery does not allow proper evaluation of merit.”
Milon clarified that the government does not plan to introduce a fiercely competitive exam for young children. “We will not introduce any examination that is inappropriate for the students of class one. The process will be simple,” he added.
Under the new system, a basic test will be conducted initially, with additional mechanisms possibly introduced if the number of applicants exceeds available seats, the minister explained.
Addressing concerns over potential coaching and private tutoring, Milon assured that the government would take measures to prevent such practices from being encouraged by the new system.
He said the decision was reached after extensive discussions with stakeholders and internal research conducted by the ministry. “Our research did not begin today. We have been working on this issue for a long time,” he noted.
The new admission system is expected to be implemented starting next year.
