People in Panchagarh made a human chain to call for the end of the lottery-based admission system in government schools and the return of merit-based entrance exams. The protest took place on 28 October, tuesday afternoon outside the Central Shaheed Minar along the Dhaka–Banglabandha expressway. It lasted an hour and included teachers, pupils, and parents from several kindergartens.
Speakers at the event said that the current lottery method is lowering the quality of education and taking away possibilities from deserving students, which is causing them to feel frustrated and mentally stressed. They also said that a lot of pupils have to study far away from their family, which they thought was both hard and cruel for young learners. The speakers called the lottery-based admission procedure a “black law” that hurts the education system and stops kids from developing their skills and dreams.
Some of the well-known speakers at the event were Advocate Yasul Haque Dulal, the Additional Public Prosecutor of Panchagarh Judge Court; Soaeb Ali Sabuj, the President of the District Kindergarten and Teachers’ Welfare Association; Shamsuzzaman Biplob, the Director of Little Flower School and College; Baker Hossain, the Principal of Sunshine English Grammar School; and Saiful Islam Shahin, the Principal of Hannan Sheikh School and College.
The people in charge said they will soon send a letter to the Ministry of Education through the District Commissioner asking for merit-based entrance tests to be brought back to make sure that government schools are fair and maintain high standards.
