Staff Reporter :
After a 16-year gap, the government is set to reintroduce the Primary Scholarship Examination in December 2025.
But for the first time, only students from government primary schools and Primary Teachers’ Training Institutes (PTIs) will be eligible-leaving nearly 49,000 non-government institutions excluded.
The decision has triggered widespread backlash from teachers, parents, and educationists, who argue it undermines equal opportunity in education.
Critics point out that many high-performing students from kindergartens and private schools will now be barred from competing.
Guardians expressed frustration at what they see as an unjust policy. Fazlul Kabir Mintu, a parent from Chattogram, said his fifth-grade son at Central Public School has been unfairly left out.
“We’re deeply disappointed. This is blatant discrimination. The government cannot accommodate all children in public schools. Parents who choose private institutions are now being punished for that choice,” he said.
Educationists note that non-government schools have historically contributed a large share of scholarship recipients.
Ariful Hasan Chowdhury, Principal of Bangladesh Mahila Samiti School & College, remarked: “In our school alone, 70-80% of Class Five students used to secure scholarships. Excluding them not only undermines merit, it risks discouraging an entire generation of bright students.”
Professor Abdul Alim, former Secretary of Chattogram Education Board, added: “A government that pledges equality cannot run a scholarship programme that entrenches disparity. Opportunity must be equal, regardless of school type.”
The Primary Scholarship Exam was long seen as a national benchmark of academic merit across schools.
It was discontinued in 2009 with the introduction of the Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE), which then became the scholarship basis.
Now, as PECE is scaled back under reforms, the scholarship exam is returning-though with sharply narrowed eligibility.
According to a Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) circular issued on 17 July, the exam will run from 21-24 December and be mandatory for government school students only.
Excluded are more than 6,000 private schools, kindergartens, NGO-run institutions, and madrasas-together representing nearly half of the country’s primary student population.
Officials argue the decision is consistent with constitutional obligations. Citing Article 17(a) and the 1990 Compulsory Primary Education Act, the ministry said the scholarships are designed to improve government school standards and support underprivileged children.
The ministry dismissed allegations of discrimination, noting that kindergartens already conduct their own internal exams that exclude government school students.
It further stressed that enrolment in private schools is voluntary, while government education remains free and universally accessible.
When asked about the exclusion, Mohammad Hossain Ali, Deputy Director of the DPE’s Policy and Operations Division, acknowledged the policy but declined to say whether it was discriminatory.
Attempts to reach DPE Director General Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman went unanswered.
Rejecting the ministry’s stance, the Bangladesh Kindergarten Association (BKA) has filed a writ petition with the High Court. On 4 August, the court asked the government to respond within four weeks.
Meanwhile, the BKA announced a nationwide protest programme for 21 August, including a siege of the Directorate of Primary Education in Dhaka. “Millions of kindergarten students cannot be left behind,” BKA leader Shamsul Abedin said.
As the debate intensifies, the government faces mounting pressure to review its stance.
With parents, educators, and private school networks rallying against the exclusion, the ministry must now decide whether to uphold its restrictive policy or adopt a more inclusive approach that reflects the diversity of Bangladesh’s primary education system.
