The education ministry plans to conduct nationwide scholastic ability tests, starting in the 2006 school year, that would cover every student in selected grades, ministry sources said Saturday.

To address concern that such tests could lead to excessive grading of schools, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry will have an advisory panel work out how best to implement them and come up with a framework for the initiative by August.

No such comprehensive tests have been implemented on students since the 1964 school year, after a comprehensive exam on junior high school students in 1961 triggered heated controversy over the extent to which the central government can intervene in the management of educational institutions run by local governments.

In November, education minister Nariaki Nakayama said such tests might be desirable to spur competition among children.

The Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, chaired by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is also urging that such tests be conducted.

The education ministry is envisaging conducting tests on students in the fifth grade of elementary schools and the second year of junior high.