Nearly 4,000 students from more than 300 kindergartens in Narayanganj Sadar Upazila are facing uncertainty over their participation in this year’s fifth-grade primary scholarship examination, scheduled to be held in December. Only students from educational institutions that applied for teaching permission within the stipulated deadline will be eligible to sit for the examination. As a result, a large number of students are at risk of being deprived of the opportunity. Kindergarten teachers and guardians have called for allowing all students to participate in the examination to ensure equal opportunities and avoid discrimination.

According to the Upazila Primary Education Office, there are 491 kindergartens and primary sections attached to secondary schools in Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, offering education from kindergarten to fifth grade. Of these, only around 110 institutions applied for teaching permission within the prescribed timeframe. Students from the remaining institutions are unable to participate in this year’s scholarship examination because their schools failed to submit applications on time.

Several kindergarten directors whose institutions could not apply within the deadline said they needed more time to fulfil all the conditions set by the government. Consequently, they were unable to complete the application process on time. They argued that students should not be deprived of the opportunity to demonstrate their academic merit because of delays by school authorities. They also said that a fair assessment of merit would not be possible without ensuring the participation of all students.

The headteacher of Haji Shamsuddin High School in Mizmizi said he initially deposited Tk 3,000 at Sonali Bank to apply online for teaching permission. However, the application was not accepted because the fee had not been paid through the online system. After repeated visits and communication with the Upazila Education Office, he deposited another Tk 3,000 online and completed the application process. However, he is still uncertain whether the school’s fifth-grade students will be allowed to sit for the scholarship examination.

Ziaul Haque, director of Ziaul Haque Kindergarten in Batanpara, said they had applied for teaching permission after fulfilling the government’s requirements. However, as the application was submitted after the deadline, the school’s fifth-grade students are unable to participate in this year’s scholarship examination. He said the students were disappointed and called for allowing everyone to take part in the examination to ensure a fair assessment of merit.

Several kindergarten directors, speaking on condition of anonymity, said parents were choosing kindergartens because of various shortcomings in the quality and learning environment of other educational institutions. Even many teachers and officials working at government schools, colleges and universities send their children to kindergartens instead of government primary schools. They argued that no student should be excluded from the scholarship examination under the new rules and that equal participation should be ensured.

Several guardians of fifth-grade students also questioned why children should bear the consequences of delays by school authorities in complying with government regulations. They said students should not lose the opportunity to demonstrate their academic abilities simply because their institutions missed the application deadline. The guardians called for special consideration to allow all students to participate in this year’s examination and urged the authorities to make the relevant policies simpler and more practical.

When contacted, Saif Uddin Biplob, Primary Education Officer of Narayanganj Sadar Upazila, said that only around 110 of the 491 educational institutions had applied for teaching permission within the stipulated timeframe. As a result, students from many institutions, including Narayanganj High School, Adarsha High School and PDB School in Siddhirganj, would not be able to participate in the scholarship examination.

He added that many applications could not be forwarded to the higher authorities because the online application deadline had expired.

He further said that participation by all students was necessary for a proper assessment of academic merit. However, the local education office had no authority to change the decision, and everyone would have to comply with the government’s instructions.