Legal notice to government with three demands including ending primary admission tests and banning extra books

A legal notice has been sent to the government demanding a ban on unauthorised pre-primary courses such as play, nursery and kindergarten classes, an end to admission tests at primary schools, and a ban on extra books beyond the board books approved by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).

Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan Mamun sent the notice in the public interest on Thursday, October 29. It was sent 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 says that under Article 17 of the Constitution and the Primary Education (Compulsory) Act, 1990, primary education in the country has been made universal, mass-oriented and compulsory. But the commercialisation of education at government and private schools, kindergartens and English-medium institutions is putting extra pressure on children, the notice alleges.

The notice raises the practice of enrolling children in multiple pre-primary levels such as play, nursery, KG-1 and KG-2 and burdening them with extra study and books. It demands that these unauthorised courses be banned and only the single government-approved pre-primary class be kept.

Opposing admission tests at primary schools, the notice says competitive processes such as written tests, screening tests and viva examinations can create fear and mental stress among children. It demands a complete end to such admission tests to keep primary education open, inclusive and joyful.

The notice also objects to extra grammar books, workbooks and supplementary books being imposed beyond the NCTB’s main textbooks. It says the pressure of extra books and syllabuses can cause physical fatigue and mental exhaustion in children and hinder the development of their thinking, imagination and creativity.

It further says that excessive study in childhood, the pressure of admission tests and a memorisation-based education system are hindering the free thinking and creativity of children. According to lawyer Mahmudul Hasan Mamun, such pressure conflicts with the rights to mass-oriented education, equality, protection of law, and a dignified life and physical well-being mentioned in Articles 17, 27, 31 and 32 of the Constitution.

The notice demands effective action within five days on three matters: banning unauthorised pre-primary courses and ending primary school admission tests; taking punitive action, including cancelling the registration of institutions that impose extra books beyond NCTB board books; and forming monitoring teams at upazila and district levels on these matters.

If action is not taken within the stipulated time, a writ petition will be filed in the public interest in the High Court Division under Article 102 of the Constitution for the protection of children, the notice says.