40pc area quota in class I admission from 2016
SCHOOL Admission process goes online in districts from next year
The government has decided to introduce a 40 per cent quota in each government education institution for the people living in that institution zone.
The government has also decided to extend the online admission system for Class I to district-level educational institutions across the country starting next year. Currently, the system is practiced in only 24 government educational institutions in the Dhaka metropolitan area, but the ministry said they would introduce it across the country as they have the infrastructure to do so.
At a meeting on admission policy at the Secretariat yesterday, the ministry also reached a consensus to fix the age of enrollment to Class I at 6+; in the last admission policy, it was five to seven years.
However, none of the proposals could be finalised as Education Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan, the chair of the meeting, was busy with another function. Instead, the meeting was helmed by Additional Secretary of Ministry of Education Chowdhury Mufad Ahmed.
We have proposed online admission in Class I from next year. Right now, this system is only in Dhaka city, Chowdhury said. Sources said while online admission was good to bring in transparency, it would be difficult to introduce this across the country as infrastructure up to district level was not satisfactory. About area-based admission, Chowdhury said, We have taken the matter seriously and are very much optimistic about introducing the system from next year. Before introduction, we want to create different zones across the country in terms of location of educational institutions. The Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) will assist us in this regard.
Sources said how guardians and parents would prove they were living in educational zones was not discussed in the meeting. All participants supported area-based admission and said it would reduce traffic congestion and suffering of guardians and their wards during school hours. The fees for online admissions would be paid through state-run mobile company Teletalk. Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHE) sources said there were 32 government educational institutions in the capital and the number would be 35 from next year, however only 14 schools had Class-I with a seat capacity of about 1,500. Apparently, the Ministry of Education decided to incorporate area-based admission based on directives from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who observed that guardians and students suffered a lot on streets for long hours as they attended educational institutions travelling long distances from their residences.
About the age of enrolment, Chowdhury said, We have proposed 6+ as the age of enrolment in Class I following the National Education Policy 2010. Five plus has been proposed as pre-primary age. But these are only proposals. Nothing has been finalised yet.
Sources from the Ministry of Education said they would hold a meeting on Wednesday on admission policy for non-government educational institutions where online systems and enrollment age would be discussed.
Meanwhile, a former adviser to the caretaker government told this newspaper, The directive of the PM regarding admission without any exam should be followed. Besides, the birth date should be followed strictly especially in rural areas and teachers should pay attention to this.
