Bangladesh interim government is reintroducing entrance examinations for admission to its polytechnic institutes starting from the 2025–26 academic year.
The announcement was made by K M Kabirul Islam, secretary of the Technical and Madrassa Education Division of the Ministry of Education, at a press briefing held at the Secretariat on Monday.
According to the announcement, students seeking admission to these institutions will now be required to take a 100-mark test. Of the total, 70 marks will be allocated for multiple-choice questions, while the remaining 30 marks will be based on GPA scores..
Earlier, there was a similar admission test system in place for polytechnic institutes, which was abolished in 2016 in favor of a GPA-based admission policy under the then Awami League government. The new move marks a return to the previous system.
Khabirul Islam said that the reintroduction of the admission test aims to enhance the quality of technical education by ensuring that only capable and genuinely interested students are enrolled.
He said the current system allows all SSC pass students to enroll, resulting in the admission of unprepared or disinterested students, which negatively impacts the overall academic outcome and standard of education.
The new system is expected to restore discipline and raise educational standards in the technical education sector, he added.
Shahjalal Ahmad, a representative of the Bangladesh Technical Students’ Movement, at the briefing expressed satisfaction with the ministry’s decision, while urging that all of their demands be implemented swiftly.
Secretary Kabirul Islam said that several of the students’ demands have already been met, with the rest under active consideration of the government.
A recent meeting of the ministry and students representative led to a suspension of the student movement, and now, it is up to the students to declare whether it has been fully withdrawn, he added.
Later, Shahjalal Ahmad said that students have returned to their classes and exams, and that they have resumed normal academic activities at the polyphonic institutes.
The student movement began on April 29, when students locked down most polytechnic institutes across the country and launched a shutdown campaign to press for six demands.
The protests escalated to road and railway blockades in several regions. But, following government assurances, the students postponed their demonstrations. They formally on Monday announced the end of their movement.
Additional secretary (Development) Shamsur Rahman, Additional secretary (Madrassah) Md. Saiful Islam, Additional Secretary (Technical) Rehana Yasmin, Director General of the Directorate of Technical Education Shoaib Ahmad Khan, Technical Education Board chairman Engineer Md. Ruhul Amin, IDEB Convener Engineer Kabir Hossain, Member Secretary Engineer Kazi Sakhawat Hossain, Education Reporters Association, Bangladesh president Faruque Hossain, and General secretary Solamain Salman, also present among others.
Apart from this, 12 student representatives from the Bangladesh Technical Students’ Movement also took part in the event.
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