Exam or lottery? Decision on school admissions Wednesday

A fresh debate has gripped the education sector over how students will be admitted to schools for the 2026 academic year – through entrance exams or digital lottery. The long-standing divide between teachers and guardians has resurfaced, with both sides making strong arguments for their preferred system.

While the Guardian Unity Forum has urged the authorities to retain the digital lottery system for all schools, the Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers’ Association is pressing for the reinstatement of admission tests, saying merit-based selection is being undermined.

The Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) have yet to issue any official statement. As the authorities remain silent, misinformation has spread on social media, leaving over a million guardians anxious about the upcoming admission process.

“No decision has been made yet regarding next year’s admission policy,” said Professor Dr. Khandokar Ehsanul Kabir, Chairman of the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.

“A meeting has been scheduled at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday (October 29). The admission policy will be finalised following discussions between the inter-board committee and the ministry.”

A divisive issue

For several years now, both government and private schools have been admitting students through a lottery system. The arrangement was introduced to make the process more transparent and reduce the pressure on children. However, some educational institutions and teacher groups have called for a return to merit-based entrance exams.

Education officials caution that reinstating admission tests could revive the “admission business” and expose young students to intense stress. They argue that the lottery system helps prevent financial irregularities and coaching-centre dependency.

Teachers want exams

Teachers of government secondary schools argue the lottery has eroded the value of merit. In a petition to the Ministry of Education, they described the system as “education-destroying,” claiming it jeopardises students’ futures.

The petition warns that if the lottery continues, unrest could spread among parents and students. The teachers’ association urged the ministry’s 2026 Admission Committee to reintroduce competitive admission exams “to avoid unwanted situations.”

Guardians demand lottery

On the other hand, the Guardian Unity Forum insists the lottery ensures fairness and accountability. In a joint statement, the organisation’s president Ziaul Kabir Dulu and general secretary Selim Mia said the lottery system has curbed corruption and reduced the financial burden on families.

They argued that returning to admission tests would reignite the coaching culture and widen inequality. The forum also called for the removal of all quotas, including the so-called “pet quota” under the Ministry of Education, to ensure a fully transparent admission process.

“The lottery system protects children from unnecessary stress and parents from financial exploitation,” the statement read. “Reintroducing exams will bring back pressure, discrimination, and corruption.”

Seats and competition

In the 2026 academic year, 5,625 schools—both government and private—will admit students across the country. Together, these institutions have about 1.117 million seats, most of which are in private schools.

According to DSHE data, 4,945 private schools will offer around 1.08 million seats, while 680 government schools will have only 109,000 available spots. Last year, 965,704 applications were submitted—six times the number of available seats in government schools.

“Everyone wants admission to reputed institutions,” said Ziaul Haider Henry, Assistant Director of the DSHE. “Except for a few top schools, most private institutions receive very few applications.”

What’s next?

The much-anticipated meeting on Wednesday will decide whether Bangladesh continues with the digital lottery or returns to an exam-based admission system.

Until then, parents, teachers, and schools across the country remain in suspense—caught between merit and equality, competition and compassion.