A legal notice has been sent to the government demanding an end to admission tests at primary level, a ban on unapproved pre-primary courses such as play, nursery, KG-1 and KG-2, and a stop to schools imposing books beyond those approved by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).
A Supreme Court lawyer sent the notice in the public interest. It went by registered post to the cabinet secretary, the secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the director general of the Directorate of Primary Education and the chairman of the NCTB.
The notice demands effective action on these issues within five days. Otherwise, it warns, a public interest writ petition will be filed with the High Court Division under Article 102 of the Constitution to protect children’s interests.
The notice says Article 17 of the Constitution and the Primary Education (Compulsory) Act, 1990 set out a policy of making primary education universal, accessible to all and compulsory. It alleges, however, that commercialisation of primary education is growing at schools across the country.
Children aged three to five are being enrolled in several tiers such as play, nursery, KG-1 and KG-2 and loaded with extra study and books, the notice says. This risks harming their normal childhood, mental development and creativity. It calls for the unapproved courses to be banned while the single government-approved pre-primary class is kept.
The notice also raises concern over admitting children to primary school through written tests, screening tests and oral examinations. The lawyer argues that facing competitive admission tests at an early age can cause fear, stress and a lack of confidence in children. All admission tests at primary level should therefore be stopped and an open, inclusive and joyful education system ensured, the notice says.
It also highlights schools forcing extra grammar books, workbooks and guidebooks on pupils beyond the textbooks set by the NCTB. It alleges that some schools and commercial publishers are colluding to burden children with extra books and syllabus content, putting them at risk of physical fatigue, mental exhaustion and stunted creative growth.
Children should not be confined to rote learning from an early age but given room to develop free thinking, imagination and the ability to innovate, the notice adds. It claims such excess pressure conflicts with the principles of access to education, equality, protection of the law, and protection of life and personal liberty reflected in Articles 17, 27, 31 and 32 of the Constitution.
The notice demands that within five days unapproved pre-primary courses be shut, admission tests at primary level be banned, and schools that impose books beyond the NCTB’s textbooks face penalties including cancellation of their registration. It also calls for monitoring teams at upazila and district level to enforce these directions.
If the necessary steps are not taken within the set time, a public interest writ will be filed with the High Court on behalf of children, the notice says.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report