Grade one admissions to continue through lottery, says education ministry

The Ministry of Education has announced that students seeking admission to Grade One will continue to be selected through a lottery system from the 2027 academic year, instead of an admission test.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said admission to all other classes in primary and secondary schools will be based on admission tests.

The decision revises an earlier announcement made on March 16, when Education Minister Dr. ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon said that the lottery system would be abolished and admission tests introduced for school admissions from the 2027 academic year.

Under the latest decision, however, the lottery system will remain in place for Grade One, while admission tests will apply to the remaining grades.

The lottery system for Grade One admissions was first introduced in government secondary schools in the 2011 academic year. It was extended to private schools in 2012.

Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, lottery-based admissions were introduced for all grades in the 2021 academic year, and the system remained in effect in subsequent years.