Rasheda K Choudhury calls for ‘reality check’ before government scraps school lottery for admission

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), has advised the government to run a “reality check” before withdrawing the school admission lottery.

The former caretaker government advisor offered the suggestion during a dialogue at a city hotel on Monday morning.

“We have seen that the government is largely in agreement about withdrawing the lottery. But before doing so, we urge them to look closely at the ground-level reality,” Rasheda said.

She questioned why the system was being scrapped when it was originally introduced to address specific issues in elite schools.

“Where is the lottery? It exists for the prestigious schools, not in the villages. So, why was it introduced for these prestigious schools in the first place?” she asked.

The education ministry, however, proceeded to abolish the lottery system later that afternoon.

The education minister indicated that entrance examinations will likely be organised for admission into all grades.

Rasheda argued that the lottery system acted as a gateway for the less fortunate.

“Without the lottery, a rickshaw puller’s child cannot get into Viqarunnisa school,” she remarked.

Instead of an outright withdrawal, she suggested that the government should focus on improving governance and management structures to prevent bribery and corruption.

Proposing an alternative to the current system, the CAMPE chief highlighted the “catchment area” policy.

“Why should a student from Gandaria go to Mohammadpur to study? The catchment area quota is currently at 40 percent. We should see if this can be increased.”

She noted that such a move would reduce “out-of-pocket” family expenses—which UNESCO estimates at 71 percent in Bangladesh—as parents would not have to struggle to send their children to distant schools.