Why govt secondary school teachers are demanding cancellation of lottery-based admission system

The lottery-based admission system introduced in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic for government and private secondary schools has now become a permanent method.

However, government secondary school teachers are calling for its abolition, arguing that it is hurting academic competition and overall education quality.

On 27 October, the Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers' Association sent a letter to the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education, demanding the cancellation of the lottery system in school admissions.

Teachers' concerns

Teachers say the lottery-based admission process has eliminated merit-based competition, resulting in classes where high-achieving and weaker students study together, making it harder for teachers to maintain balance during lessons.

Despite these concerns, the education ministry has announced that lottery-based admissions will continue for both government and private secondary schools in the 2026 academic year.

Previously, the government argued that the system was introduced to end the unhealthy "admission war" and curb the coaching business. But teachers now believe the lack of entrance exams has reduced students' motivation and learning interest, directly impacting classroom performance and exam results.

"Teaching both strong and weak students equally within a 40-minute class is extremely difficult," said Md Abdul Mubin, member secretary of the Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers' Association and a teacher at Dhaka Collegiate School.

"The few attentive students we have are losing interest as well. While we respect government policy, we're trying to highlight the practical problems we face," he added.

He added, "Many parents have told us that if entrance exams existed, they could at least understand their children's strengths and weaknesses. The lottery system removes that feedback and instead creates mental stress for both parents and students."

Though there are six active organisations under the name "Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers' Association." Though there are many differences among them, all of them reportedly support reinstating entrance exams and scrapping the lottery system.

Abdus Salam, senior teacher at Sabujbagh Government Secondary School and a coordinator of the teachers' association, told The Business Standard, "I used to see students highly motivated to study. There was healthy competition. But now, that motivation is fading. We believe competition is essential for intellectual growth."

A head teacher from Mymensingh said the lottery system might be acceptable for Class 1, but not for higher grades. "The system doesn't verify whether students have completed previous grades. Even students who have never attended school are being admitted through the lottery. Teaching them alongside others is extremely challenging," he said.

He added, "Imagine a student who hasn't completed Class 1 being placed directly in Class 2, or someone who missed the first two years starting in Class 3—it's very difficult to teach effectively."

Interviews with teachers from government secondary schools in at least eight district towns revealed a shared concern: the lottery system is lowering education standards and discouraging merit-based effort among students.

What experts say

Professor Mohammad Mojibur Rahman, from the Institute of Education and Research (IER), University of Dhaka, told The Business Standard, "Neither the lottery system nor traditional admission tests are ideal for our education system. Especially, the lottery system is a poor decision. Globally, the standard is to admit students based on the 'catchment area' principle—children should attend schools near their homes."

He added that to adopt such a system, educational equality among schools must first be ensured — with the same curriculum, infrastructure, and qualified teachers.

"For that, education spending should be at least 5% of GDP, but we allocate only 1.7% to 1.9%—that's simply not enough," he said.

Another IER Professor SM Hafizur Rahman, said, "The basis of admission must be merit assessment, and that cannot be done through a lottery. It must be done through a proper entrance examination system."