Lottery system scrapped, school admission battles to return

The new government has decided to scrap the existing lottery system for admissions to schools in class-I and above. The decision will come into effect from the 2027 academic year.

Education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced the decision at a press conference at the secretariat today, Monday.

As a result, children will once again have to face the old-style admission battle to secure places in their desired schools.

Educationists and people associated with the education sector say that replacing the lottery with admission tests, especially at the primary level, will place unnecessary pressure on children and may lead to a renewed rise in coaching centres and private tutoring.

They warn that this could also increase inequality in the education system.

Responding yesterday, Sunday, to a question from Hasnat Abdullah, a member of parliament from Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) and a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), the education minister told parliament that the previous government had introduced the lottery system for student admissions.

In his view, the system did not seem very reasonable.

The minister further said the government would consider the issue after consulting stakeholders while determining the admission process for the next academic year.

Just a day later, at today’s press conference, Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced that the government would introduce examinations in place of the lottery. “We have withdrawn the lottery system,” he said.

Journalists at the briefing raised concerns that admission tests could revive coaching businesses and admission-related irregularities. They also referred to concerns expressed by educationists.

In response, the minister said the decision had been taken after extensive discussions over the past month.

He added that the examinations would not be overly difficult. “There will be primary-level tests, very simple ones. Then we will see what happens in the next stage,” he said.

Responding to another question, the minister said the government would gradually introduce a “zoning system”, allowing students to attend schools within their local areas.

In the past, school admission tests often forced young children into intense competition at an early age. Coaching centres and private tutors were common, and many families sought extra coaching to secure admission to reputed schools. Allegations of irregularities, corruption and favouritism in admissions were also widespread.

As a result, many students from ordinary or low-income families found it difficult to secure places in reputed or even in moderately good schools. This situation had long been widely criticised and discussed in the media.

In this context, the lottery system was first introduced for class-I admissions. From the 2011 academic year, government secondary schools offering class-I were required to admit students through a lottery instead of admission tests. The following year, the system was extended to private schools as well. However, admissions from class-II to class-IX continued to be conducted through examinations.

Later, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, admissions to all classes for the 2021 academic year were conducted through the lottery system. The same system has continued since then.

Now that the government has decided to reintroduce admission tests, and the issue was also discussed in parliament Sunday.

However, educationists and stakeholders believe the move could revive old problems in the education sector.

They argue that there is little meaningful difference in ability among children at such an early age, and selecting students through examinations at this stage is not justified. Instead, it may create unnecessary competition and psychological pressure on children, while increasing dependence on coaching and making the education system more commercialised.

Kamrul Hasan Mamun, a professor of physics at Dhaka University, believes admission tests should not be introduced at the primary level under any circumstances.

He told Prothom Alo that no admission tests should be held from class-I to class-V.

“Admission tests inevitably lead to the growth of coaching businesses. These tests effectively label children by judging their abilities. Failing such tests can stigmatise children and cause trauma,” he said.

Professor Mamun added that all government schools should maintain similar standards of quality. The government cannot claim that any one of its public schools is better than the others.

"If schools were of comparable quality, there would be no need for lotteries either. Students could simply attend schools in their own areas. This would also reduce traffic congestion in cities and strengthen community ties. This is how it works across the world," he said.

“In my view, admission tests are not good. There is no need for a lottery either. What is needed is greater investment in education, the recruitment of quality teachers and the improvement of schools. At the same time, it would be better if primary schools offered education up to class-VIII and secondary schools up to class-XII.”

Educationists also note that many countries follow policies requiring children to attend schools in their own neighbourhoods, which reduces the need for competitive examinations at an early age and helps minimise inequality in education.

While merit-based examinations may be appropriate for older students, they argue such systems are not suitable for young children.

Manzoor Ahmed, professor emeritus at BRAC University, also believes admission tests for children are discriminatory. He told Prothom Alo that such tests tend to favour students who can afford coaching or private tutoring.

In his view, demands for admission tests largely come from sections of the upper class or ambitious middle class who have the means to provide additional coaching and private tutoring for their children. Given the current situation, he believes the lottery system is comparatively better for children’s admissions.

However, it must be ensured that the lottery process is conducted transparently. At the same time, he stressed the importance of establishing quality schools in every locality, arguing that if good schools were available everywhere, the intense competition for admission at an early age would naturally decline.