The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has issued the Primary Scholarship Examination Policy 2026 to identify meritorious students in primary schools.
Under the new policy, the primary scholarship examination will be held for a total of 400 marks, with 100 marks allocated to each of four subjects – Bangla, English, Primary Mathematics, and Bangladesh and World Introduction with Primary Science (Integrated).
The policy was published on the website of the Directorate of Primary Education on Tuesday.
All scholarship-related activities will be conducted under the new policy from 2026. However, the 2025 scholarship examination will be held under special arrangements in line with the new policy.
According to the policy, up to 40% of Class V students from government and private schools will be eligible to sit for the exam based on the results of the Class IV comprehensive assessment. Participation will be mandatory for government primary schools.
Private schools must follow the NCTB curriculum and be active in the Directorate of Primary Education’s online system, IPEMIS, to participate.
Each subject will have an examination duration of two hours and 30 minutes, while students with special needs will receive an additional 30 minutes.
To qualify for a scholarship, a student must secure at least 40% marks in each subject.
The policy introduces two types of scholarships – Talent Pool and General. In both categories, 50% of the recipients will be boys and 50% girls.
A total of 80% of scholarships will be reserved for government primary school students, while 20% will be allocated to students from private schools.
Talent Pool scholarships will be awarded based on merit at the upazila or thana level. For General scholarships, the union or ward will be considered as the unit for government school students.
Under this category, five scholarships will be awarded in each union or ward—two for boys, two for girls, and one under the merit quota.
To oversee the examination, a national steering committee will be formed with the minister and state minister of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education as advisers and the secretary as president.
Separate committees will also operate at the district level under deputy commissioners and at the upazila level under upazila nirbahi officers.
The policy includes provisions for departmental disciplinary action in case of irregularities or negligence in conducting the examination.
