Primary school admission tests would be a misguided step

A recent proposal to base primary school admission on tests has raised concern as critics argue that forcing young children—who are just starting to explore and understand the world around them—into competitive exams ignores the true purpose of education. If children must pass an admission test to enter primary school, then what role is the school supposed to play? Especially at the primary level when children are meant to achieve basic skills in literacy, numeracy, and other life skills. People who support admission tests for entry into primary education believe that such tests can help identify “good students” at an early age. They also argue that admissions based on merit will ensure better academic outcomes and maintain institutional standards. However, this system raises serious concerns as it encourages labelling students as either “meritorious” or “weak” from a very early age and this widely used custom has a considerable psychological cost too. When students enter school with a competitive spirit instead of excitement, they become heavily reliant on coaching centres and private tutors very early on and learning becomes stressful, instead of being joyous.

This not only affects children’s mental well-being but also distorts the purpose of primary education. If they fail to secure a seat in so-called prestigious institutions, they are considered failures and many parents exacerbates this situation by being emotionally and verbally heavy on the children. Sometimes, parents keep pushing the children to attend multiple admission tests into contemporarily considered prestigious institutions, even if it costs their children a full academic year. This is unreasonable and illogical yet, deeply entrenched into Bangladeshi society. But we should remember that an admission test cannot measure a child’s true potential. Just as different flowers bloom at different times, children also develop at different paces.

If we were to examine the assessment process through a critical lens, the issue lies in the nature of the assessment system itself. There are various modes of assessment, yet written examinations are only one form that has been traditionally deployed to assess children. Relying solely on written exams to measure all children is theoretically flawed. A child who does not perform well in a written exam for certain reasons cannot be labelled as “less intelligent” or a “weak student.” That same child may excel in creativity, performance, communication, or artistic skills. When we try to assess all children in the same way, we overlook the fact that every human is unique.

Additionally, these tests often measure privilege, not potential. Research in child development consistently shows that a child’s performance is shaped by various factors—for instance—environment, parental support, financial resources, and access to preparation rather than innate intelligence. As a result, admission tests support social inequality instead of promoting merit. Children from privileged backgrounds generally perform better because they have better opportunities, not because they are more brilliant. Thus, the system fails to provide equal opportunity; rather, it excludes those who need education the most. Education should not filter out the “less capable” at the beginning; rather, it should support all learners in reaching their potential.

Now, in this context, a question arises—what is the better alternative? The answer is simple—a catchment area-based system. In this approach, students are admitted to primary school based on their residential proximity, which not only helps stop early competition among children but also ensures equality for all. However, before implementing this, the government must focus on developing a strong education policy. We also need to take initiatives to make sure all educational institutions have similar standards. If all schools provided the same quality and facilities regardless of their urban and rural location, there would have been no competition for admission into a few so-called “elite” schools. Quite a lot of countries around the world deploy similar catchment area-based strategies to ensure equal access. Also, in some countries, like China, paper-based exams for first and second graders has been banned to ease academic pressure and routine assessments has been limited to a single final examination per semester at the upper primary level.

So, it is time to move away from both the lottery system and admission tests at the very beginning of a child’s life. Instead, we should build schools in such a way that they can serve every child equally and create opportunities for all children alike.

Tamanna Akther Shanta has graduated from the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries, and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.