HC questions exclusion of pvt school from scholarship exam

Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:25 AM

HC questions exclusion of pvt school from scholarship exam

Bangla Press Desk: The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking authorities to explain why class five students of private schools should be excluded from the primary scholarship examination. The bench of Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Sk Tahsin Ali passed the order in response to a writ petition filed by Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan, a resident of Narsingdi, challenging the government’s decision to bar private school students from the exam. The court directed the director general of the Directorate of Primary Education and the director of its sub-scholarship department to respond within four weeks. The petitioner argued that until 2022, students from both government and private institutions were allowed to participate in the primary scholarship exam.

Although the scholarship examination was discontinued in 2009 following the introduction of the Primary Education Completion (PEC) exam, it was scheduled to be reintroduced in 2022. However, that did not happen. On 17 July this year, the Directorate of Primary Education issued two circulars which made no provision for students of private schools to sit for the exam. In a subsequent clarification, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education stated that the scholarship programme is intended solely for class five students in government primary schools, as part of broader efforts to improve education quality in public institutions. According to the ministry, the initiative aims to support students from low-income families and encourage their continued education. However, critics have labelled the move discriminatory, arguing that it undermines the principle of equal opportunity in education. This article was originally published on Daily Sun. [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

BP/ZE

[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]