Government to take expert opinion on scrapping PEC test

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed agencies to take expert opinion on whether the primary education completion or PEC tests should be scrapped.

The instruction was given at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council or ECNEC on Tuesday.

Noting that the government was working to abolish all test in classes up to Grade III following Hasina’s orders, Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting: “Also, she directed the agencies to take expert opinion whether the primary education completion will be revoked or not."

The discussion over the PEC test issue has been going on for a long time. In 2016 when the government decided to expand the range of primary education to Grade VIII, the issue of primary school education came to the fore.

At that time, then Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman also hinted that the government took the decision in principle to revoke the PEC test. But the cabinet will take the final decision, he added.

But next year, the then Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told the parliament that the government had no plan to scrap the PEC test as like as it did in terms of Junior School Certificate or JSC test.

In 2009, the PEC test for Grade V students was introduced and the JSC exam for the Grade VIII students.

In March, the government decided to scrap all examinations up to Grade III at primary schools.

At the ECNEC meeting, referring to the example of Australia's education system, Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury said there was no examination until Grade V. Based on the class performance reports, students are selected for the next class, he said.

Then, the prime minister directed the agencies to speak to the experts and to report back to her.

Parents and students have long been demanding to scrap the PEC examination.