Hasnat criticises lottery admissions; edu minister signals reform

Hasnat Abdullah, lawmaker for the Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency, criticised the lottery-based admission system for primary schools, calling it detrimental to the quality of education.

His remarks came during the 13th session of the National Parliament on Sunday, March 15, which began at 11:00 am.

In response to a parliamentary question, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon hinted at the possibility of cancelling the lottery system. 

He said the government is reviewing the current primary school admission process and will decide on the system for 2027 after consulting stakeholders.

The admission pressure is mainly seen in urban areas particularly in Dhaka while rural schools usually do not face such competition due to relatively lower student numbers. 

“The lottery system was introduced earlier to address the admission pressure in city schools but I personally do not think it is a very logical system,” Milon told the House.

He said the government will hold seminars and discussions with stakeholders including parents to build public opinion before finalising the admission system for January 2027.

Hasnat Abdullah expressed concerns about the shift from merit-based admission to a lottery system at the primary level.

He argued that the change has weakened the quality of feeder institution which ultimately affects the quality of students entering universities.

The lawmaker also questioned whether an inclusive education system could be achieved while maintaining three parallel streams in the country, Bangla medium, English medium and madrasa education, which he said largely reflect economic disparities among families.

In response, the Education Minister acknowledged that Bangladesh currently has multiple streams of education and integrating them is a complex process.

He said the government has already formed a committee to bring English-medium schools under a regulatory framework aligned with national policies.

The minister added that work has also begun to reform the Ebtedayee (primary madrasha) system and explore ways to incorporate the Qawmi education stream within a broader national education framework.

“We are taking initiatives to gradually coordinate these different streams so that the education system becomes more unified in future,” he said.

With inputs from UNB

MOS/MHK