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Grade 1 lottery retained, upper grades tested
The Ministry of Education issued a revised school admission policy on Tuesday (October 13), decreeing that state-run secondary schools will admit students to Grade 1 through a centralized digital lottery, while admissions from Grades 2 through 9 for the upcoming 2027 academic year will return to competitive written examinations.
Under the fresh circular, applicants seeking entry into Grade 1 can select a maximum of five preferred schools. For institutions operating double shifts, choosing both shifts will count as selecting two separate institutions. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) will supervise the digital lottery centrally.
In contrast, vacant seats from Grades 2 to 9 will be awarded on merit via written entrance examinations. Candidates vying for seats in Grades 2 to 5 will take a 50-mark written test, while applicants for Grades 6 to 9 will sit for a 100-mark assessment.
The policy shift follows an announcement in March by Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milan regarding the return of entrance examinations across the board. The proposal prompted swift pushback from educationists and policy experts, who warned that testing primary-level children would foster unhealthy competition, revive predatory coaching cartels, and intensify socioeconomic inequality. While discussions were held on extending the lottery framework up to Grade 5, policymakers ultimately settled on testing from Grade 2 onward.
Historically, entrance testing placed immense pressure on young learners and invited allegations of corruption and nepotism, prompting authorities to mandate lotteries for Grade 1 starting in the 2011 academic year. The lottery mechanism was subsequently expanded to all grades in 2021 as a health precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic, a system that had remained intact until the latest revision.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/education/Grade-1-lottery-retained-upper-grades-tested