Children must be admitted to primary schools of their respective areas without any entrance examination, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said today.

"It is not mandatory to go through a formal entrance examination for getting admitted into the primary schools, the prime minister said at a programme at Bangladesh Shisu Academy in Dhaka on the occasion of 'Children's Rights Week, 2015.

She also directed the education ministry and other ministries concerned to take proper steps in this regard. This will be coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), she added.

"It is the children's right to get admitted into the schools of their own locality," the premier added.

"They must be admitted first," the premier said, adding: "If the children are enrolled in schools through formal exams taking lesson at home, what is the duty of the schools?" the premier said.

Referring to a statistics that around 34 lakh children roam around the streets of Dhaka, the premier directed the ministries of women and children welfare and social welfare to look into the issue.

"No children shall roam around on the streets. No children shall lead sub-human life," she said.