The government will introduce a major overhaul of the secondary school admission process from the next academic year, replacing the lottery-based system with a new mechanism that combines catchment area considerations and admission tests.
Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon came up with the disclosure at a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday.
He said admissions would be conducted through a combination of catchment areas and examinations, but clarified that there would be no centrally administered admission test.
“Admission tests will be held, but not under a single centralised system. The process will be managed at the local level, taking catchment areas into consideration. As a result, the same examination method may not be followed everywhere,” he said.
The education minister noted that local realities would continue to play a key role in the admission process, as was the case in the past.
Asked about the format and structure of the examinations, Milon said the framework had yet to be finalised.
“Work is ongoing, and a comprehensive outline will be announced in due course,” he added.
The Ministry of Education has already announced its decision to scrap the lottery-based admission system at the secondary level from the next academic year. Under the proposed framework, students will be given priority based on their residential area, while provisions for assessment and evaluation will also be incorporated into the admission process.
