Writ filed seeking ban on pry school admission tests

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Monday (November 9) seeking a complete ban on admission tests for primary school students (Grades 2 to 5) and the prohibition of all unauthorized commercial guidebooks alongside unapproved pre-primary courses.

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Md Mahmudul Hasan Mamun filed the public interest litigation.

The petition named the Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, Secretary of the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education, and Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) as respondents.

According to the writ petition, under the Primary Education (Compulsory) Act 1990, every child possesses an absolute legal right to unhindered access to primary education. However, the government's "Government Secondary School Student Admission Policy 2027" subjects young children to competitive admission exams, which the petitioner argues directly contradicts the primary legislation and creates severe psychological trauma among pupils.

The petition further alleged that educational institutions, in violation of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board Act 2018, collude with commercial publishers to impose heavy auxiliary guidebooks on young students beyond the NCTB-approved textbooks. The petitioner highlighted that this mental strain and physical burden risks damaging children's health, posture, and cognitive development.

Additionally, the petition noted that the National Education Policy 2010 specifies only one year of government-approved pre-primary education. Despite this, kindergartens and private schools across the country operate multiple unauthorized levels—such as Play, Nursery, KG-1, and KG-2—effectively turning early childhood education into a commercial enterprise.

-SA