Kindergarten Students Hold Human Chain in Ishwarganj Demanding Participation in Scholarship Exams

ছবিঃ সিএনআই

Ishwarganj Correspondent:
In protest against the decision to exclude kindergarten and private school students from the fifth-grade scholarship examination, students from various kindergartens in Ishwarganj, Mymensingh, organized a human chain. Students from around 70 kindergartens in the upazila stood in front of their respective institutions from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, holding a symbolic protest.

One such demonstration took place in front of Shailee Kindergarten, located in the Kalibari area of Ishwarganj municipality. Nearly 500 students and their guardians participated, holding placards and voicing their frustration at being denied the opportunity to prove their merit. Their slogans reflected the grief of being deprived of a platform to showcase their academic potential.

Speakers at the human chain condemned the government decision that allows only public school students to sit for the scholarship exam, calling it a clear act of discrimination. They warned that such a decision would hinder the intellectual growth of a large portion of the country's future generation.

Guardian Ruhul Amin Ripon stated, “Education is the backbone of a nation, and now an attempt is being made to paralyze a significant part of it. Excluding kindergarten students from the scholarship exam is a threat to the future of talented children. If our children don’t get recognition for their talent, how will they progress in life?”

Alok Ghosh Choton, President of the Ishwarganj Kindergarten Association, said, “According to the ministry’s directive issued on July 17, only public school students are eligible. But dual policies cannot exist in one country. Around 7,000 students in Ishwarganj alone will be affected. If our demand is not met, we will announce stricter programs in the future. We will not back down in defending the rights of our students.”

Both students and guardians have called upon the government to urgently reconsider its decision and allow kindergarten students to participate in the scholarship examinations.