Online lottery for admission at BD govt schools on January 11

Bangladesh Desk:

The government will hold online lottery centrally for admission against vacant 77,260 seats from Class I to Class IX at the 683 government schools across the country on January 11 following the High Court order.

Issuing a circular on Thursday, directorate of secondary and higher education also exempted the age-bar for admission following the High Court order.

Any applicant can apply between December 31 and January 7 for admission, reads the circular adding that scheduled lottery on December 30 was suspended after the court order.

The HC bench of justice JBM Hassan and justice Md Khairul Alam earlier on Tuesday ordered the government to suspend the lottery schedule and to extend the admission application deadline for seven days within two working days.

The HC bench also issued a rule asking 11 respondents, including the secretary of education ministry, secretary of primary education ministry and the DG of the DSHE, to explain within four weeks why the government’s decision of not allowing students under 11-year to take admission in Class VI would not be declared illegal.

The court passed the order responding to a writ petition filed by a parent seeking a directive as his daughter, who is not yet 11, could not apply for admission in Class VI for the age bar set by the government.

Because of the age bar, many students could not apply, he said, adding that the HC ordered the government to declare a fresh schedule after withdrawing the age bar.

Directorate director general Faruk said that they set the age bar for admission as it had been practiced since the enactment of the Admission Policy 2017 by the education ministry in the light of the National Education Policy.