The government has issued the Junior Scholarship Examination Policy 2025 for eighth-grade students at the secondary level.
The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education issued the policy on Wednesday.
Under the new guidelines, 25% of students in approved or recognised secondary and lower secondary schools will be eligible to sit for the exam, based on their cumulative assessment results in seventh grade.
The exam will carry 400 marks in total: Bangla 100, English 100, Mathematics 100, Science 50, and Bangladesh and Global Studies 50. The duration will be three hours.
Scholarships will be awarded in two categories — merit and quota — with further divisions into talent pool and general scholarships.
Half of the recipients in every category will be female and half male, though vacant quotas may be filled by the other gender if needed.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education will determine the total number of scholarships nationwide.
Examination centres will be set up in suitable institutions at upazila headquarters.