CHITTAGONG, July 25 (Staff Reporter, CTG MAIL  )

The Bangladesh Kindergarten Unity Council on Wednesday strongly criticized the government’s decision to restrict participation in the upcoming 5th-grade primary scholarship examination to students from government schools only, excluding kindergartens and other private institutions.

At a press conference held at the National Press Club in Dhaka at 3:00 PM, the council’s leadership called the move a “serious act of discrimination” and warned of widespread protests unless the decision is reconsidered.

Leaders Condemn ‘Exclusionary Policy’

The event was presided over by Council Chairman Iskandar Ali Hawladar, while Secretary General Md. Rezaul Haque read a prepared statement on behalf of the organization. Other senior figures present included Alhaj Nuruzzaman Kayes, Lion Tajul Islam Nazrul, Abul Kalam Azad, Shariful Islam Akand, Dr. Md. Hasan Ali, Md. Hasanuzzaman Khosru, Md. Ishrafil Hossain, and Alhaj Abdul Matin.

According to the council, over 50,000 kindergartens operate across the country, educating more than 10 million students. These institutions, they argued, have long played a vital role in expanding access to primary education in Bangladesh.

“The government’s decision to allow only government school students to participate in the scholarship exam is neither rational nor justifiable,” said the council in its statement. “It amounts to a deliberate exclusion and a form of systemic discrimination against a vast segment of the country’s children.”

Demand for Equal Opportunity

The council urged the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to immediately reverse the decision and ensure that all students, regardless of institutional affiliation, are given an equal chance to compete in the scholarship exam.

Failure to address this, they warned, would lead to a coordinated nationwide protest involving teachers, students, and guardians from the country’s private educational sector.

“We want inclusion, not isolation,” said one speaker. “Every child in Bangladesh deserves the right to compete, learn, and grow—no matter which institution they belong to.