School entry lottery system scrapped from 2027

The government has scrapped the lottery-based admission system in schools and reintroduced entrance examinations from the 2027 academic year for students seeking admission from Class One to Class Nine in both government and private institutions.

Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon announced the decision at a press conference held at the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education at the Secretariat on Monday afternoon.

“We have decided that from the 2027 academic year admission to all classes will be conducted through examinations,” the minister said, adding that the tests would not be complicated.

“We are not trying to make neurosurgeons out of children in Class One. The examination will be very simple and appropriate for their level,” he said.

The lottery-based admission system was introduced in phases to reduce pressure on young children and curb irregularities in school admissions.

From the 2011 academic year, government secondary schools began selecting students for Class One through a lottery instead of entrance examinations, a practice that was later extended to private schools.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government expanded the lottery system to cover admissions in all classes from Class One to Class Nine starting from the 2021 academic year, and the same method has been followed since then.

However, the government’s latest decision has sparked mixed reactions among parents and educationists.

Some have expressed concern that the reintroduction of admission tests could revive coaching businesses and informal influence in the admission process.

Education experts say that monitoring admission tests across nearly 20,000 schools and colleges nationwide could be difficult for the authorities.

They also point out that in many countries children are not required to sit entrance examinations for admission to the first year of schooling.

Responding to concerns about the possible rise of coaching centres, the minister dismissed the apprehension.

“There will be no scope for coaching as the examination will be very basic. Parents should not be worried,” he said, adding that a lottery-based admission system should not exist in a proper education framework.

However, in reality, many guardians already rely on coaching centres to prepare their children for admission to reputed institutions, regardless of the system in place.

Due to the absence of a strong and uniform teaching environment in many schools, parents often send their children to coaching centres to increase their chances of getting admitted to well-known institutions such as Dhaka Residential Model College, St. Joseph Higher Secondary School and Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

Pre-admission coaching centres have mushroomed across different parts of the capital, particularly in the Mohammadpur area. Instead of attending regular schools, many children spend much of their time in these centres throughout the year to prepare for competitive admission tests.

Guardians say the high demand for a limited number of seats in reputed institutions has turned admission into a highly competitive process.

As a result, families often bear significant financial costs for coaching, hoping to secure a place for their children in these schools.

Educationists warn that unless the overall quality of teaching across schools improves, the pressure of competition and the dependence on coaching centres are likely to continue, regardless of whether admissions are conducted through lottery or examinations.