HC rejects writ petition challenging school admission tests

Resumen detallado

The High Court today rejected a writ petition challenging the government's decision to reintroduce admission tests at schools across the country for the 2027 academic year ...

The High Court today rejected a writ petition challenging the government's decision to reintroduce admission tests at schools across the country for the 2027 academic year.

The bench of Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Justice Fatema Anwar rejected the petition on the ground that it had not been properly placed before the court, Deputy Attorney General Nur Mohammad Azami told The Daily Star.

Advocate Zahid Talukder appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Nur Mohammad Azami represented the state.

The writ petition was filed on October 7 by Minhaj Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Movement for Human Rights and Good Governance Foundation, challenging the government's decision to scrap the lottery-based admission system and reintroduce admission tests.

In 2021, the government introduced a digital lottery system for admission to classes I to IX at government schools, replacing the previous system of admission tests.

However, the new government decided to abolish the lottery system and bring back admission tests. Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon announced the decision at a press conference on March 16.

Later, the Ministry of Education has introduced a lottery system for admission to class 1 and written exams for classes II to XII.

In the writ petition, the petitioner argued that the decision had been taken without adequate research or consultation with stakeholders. He also contended that the move could exacerbate inequality, encourage the growth of coaching businesses, increase corruption and place additional mental pressure on children.

Inicio del artículo, extracto de The Daily Star. Para leer el resto, abra el artículo en el sitio del medio.