A legal notice seeking suspension of the publication of the primary scholarship examination results was sent to government officials on Thursday.
The notice was served on the secretaries of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as the director general of the Directorate of Primary Education.
On behalf of the human rights organization Law and Life Foundation Trust, Supreme Court lawyers Barrister Mohammad Humayun Kabir Pallab and Barrister Mohammad Kawsar sent the notice in the public interest.
The notice said that under the Primary Scholarship Examination Policy 2026, the government should cancel discriminatory provisions between students of government and non-government schools and ensure equal, merit-based opportunities for all participating students.
It said the policy, framed by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, introduced a new structure for assessing primary-level students. Under the policy, 80% of scholarships have been fixed for students of government primary schools and 20% for students of non-government schools.
According to the notice, this creates institution-based discrimination in a national merit-based examination. It also said Clause 8.6 separately arranges competition for students of government and non-government schools, thereby removing a single merit-based evaluation system.
The notice added that Clauses 8.1.1, 8.3.1 and the 80:20 institutional quota are inconsistent with the constitutional principle of equality. It said the government already has a separate primary education stipend program for poor and disadvantaged students, making the reimposition of institutional quotas in a scholarship test unreasonable.
It warned that if the results of the scholarship test held under the 2026 policy are published, students from non-government educational institutions will face unfair discrimination.
The notice requested the authorities to suspend publication of the 2025 primary scholarship examination results, review Clauses 8.1.1, 8.3.1 and 8.6 of the policy, and formulate a single merit-based evaluation system ensuring equal opportunities for all students.
It also warned that if no action is taken within three working days, further legal steps will be taken in the public interest.
