Lottery System at Schools
24 kids vie for 1 seat
Twenty-four kids will try their luck for one seat in grade-one in government schools in the capital following the newly introduced lottery system for enrolling students in the elementary level.
The system has been introduced this year in all 317 state-run secondary schools across the country including 24 in the city. The authorities concerned believe it will relieve the preschoolers and their parents from the psychological pressure to secure seats in schools.
The lottery will be held in front of the guardians, teachers, education ministry and secondary and higher education directorate officials and the media.
Students of class II to IX, however, will be enrolled through a 100-mark admission test.
The lottery system received a huge response from the guardians with 72,416 forms being sold against 7,551 seats in the city’s 24 schools. Thirteen of the 24 schools have class I. Each form was sold at Tk 100.
According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), 36, 301 forms have been selected for the lottery against 1,500 seats in the 13 schools.
“This means, 24 students will have to try their luck for a seat in city schools that are on the priority list of limited income parents,” said a DSHE official preferring anonymity.
Some 58,980 admission forms of class I to IX were sold last year.
“Since it’s a luck test, everyone went for it. Even some guardians brought forms for their kids who are not eligible for class I in terms of their age,” said a teacher of a city school.
Of the total selected, 7,544 forms have been selected in Government Laboratory High School, 6,530 in Motijheel Govt Boys’ High School, 6,127 in Dhanmondi Govt Boys’ High School, 1,230 in Mohammadpur Govt High School, 1,530 in Government Bigyan College High School, 2,356 in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Govt Boys’ High School, 2,202 in Banglabazar Govt Girls’ High School, 1,010 in Narinda Govt High School, 1,993 in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Girls’ High School, 2,575 in Tejgaon Govt Girls’ High School, 753 in Gonobhaban Govt High School, 1,024 in Khilgaon Govt High School, and 1,367 in Tejgaon Govt High School.
For the lottery, the DSHE divided the 13 schools in three groups.
Group A comprises Govt Laboratory High School, Tejgaon Govt High School and Khilgaon Govt High School. Lottery for this group will be held on December 21.
Motijheel Govt Boys’ High School, Narinda Govt High School, Banglabazar Government Girls’ High School, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Govt Boys’ High School, Govt Bigyan College High School, and Mohammadpur Govt High School belong to Group B whose lottery will be held on December 22.
Group C includes Dhanmondi Govt Boys’ High School, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Girls’ High School, Tejgaon Government Girls’ High School, and Gonobhaban Government High School. The lottery for this group will take place on December 27.
The managements of the rest 293 schools will conduct the lottery on their own.
