Lottery for school admission only in Class One; exams for the rest

On Wednesday (November 11), the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education issued this policy for the admission of students to the secondary, lower secondary, and attached primary levels of private schools and school and colleges for the 2027 academic year. According to the policy, along with the list of students selected through lottery for Class One, a waiting list of an equal number of students must also be prepared; if any selected student does not get admitted within the stipulated time, students will be admitted from the waiting list in order.

Students will be selected on the basis of merit through written examination for vacant seats in Class Two to Class Nine. The admission examination for Class Two and Class Three will have a total of 50 marks—15 in Bangla, 15 in English, and 20 in Mathematics, with a duration of one hour. The examination for Class Four to Class Nine will have a total of 100 marks—30 in Bangla, 30 in English, and 40 in Mathematics, with a duration of two hours. Students who have passed Class Eight or an equivalent examination may apply for admission to Class Nine.

For admission to Class One, the student's age on January 1 of the relevant academic year must be six years or above and below seven years; accordingly, for the 2027 academic year, the date of birth must be between January 1 and December 31, 2020. A certified copy of the online birth registration certificate must be submitted as proof of age. For students with special needs, a relaxation of up to five years in the age limit may be allowed. A maximum of 55 students may be kept in each section of each class; the academic year will be from January 1 to December 31.

Schools in Dhaka metropolitan city must collect information on potential students in their own catchment areas before starting the admission process. The area where the student will reside on the date of publication of the admission notice will be considered their catchment area; if there are multiple schools in the same area, there will be an opportunity to apply to any one of them.

There are also instructions for reserving quotas in admission—5 percent for children of freedom fighters and martyred freedom fighters, 2 percent for students with special needs, 1 percent for children residing in Lillah Boarding and orphanages, 2 percent for children of officers and employees of the Ministry of Education and its subordinate offices and agencies, 3 percent for siblings of students studying in the same school, and 2 percent for twin brothers and sisters. If suitable candidates are not found in these quotas, the seats will be filled from general candidates. In the case of transfers of government officers and employees, an additional 5 percent of seats will be reserved in each section; applications must be made within 12 months from the date of the transfer order.

The price of the online admission application form for Class One has been fixed at a maximum of Tk 110, and for Class Two to Class Nine at a maximum of Tk 250. If more than the government-fixed amount is collected, legal action will be taken, including cancellation of the relevant institution's MPO. To ensure transparency in the admission process, monitoring and inspection committees will be formed at the Dhaka metropolitan, district, and upazila levels; under no circumstances may more students be admitted than the specified vacant seats.