Primary scholarship exam begins nationwide after 16 years

The primary scholarship examination has resumed across Bangladesh after a gap of 16 years, starting today.

According to the schedule, the first-day exam in Bangla begins at 10:00am on Wednesday (April 15) and continues until 12:30pm. The Directorate of Primary Education confirmed the details.

The schedule was approved at a National Steering Committee meeting under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education on March 5. It was later finalised and published by the Directorate.

As per the routine, the English exam will be held on April 16, Primary Mathematics on April 17, and Bangladesh and Global Studies along with Primary Science on April 18. Each exam will start at 10:00am and run for two and a half hours.

However, a different schedule applies in the three hill districts—Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban.

In these areas, the exams will begin on April 17 with Mathematics, followed by Bangladesh and Global Studies and Science on April 18, Bangla on April 19, and English on April 20.

Authorities have also allocated an additional 30 minutes for candidates with special needs.

The last full-scale primary scholarship examination in Bangladesh was held in 2008. It was discontinued after the introduction of the Primary Education Completion (PEC) exam in 2009. The scholarship exam was briefly reintroduced on a pilot basis in 2022 but was not continued in the following years.