Exams for all classes except grade I during school admission
Photo: Courtesy BSS.
For the 2027 academic year, student admission to class one in private secondary schools will be conducted through a lottery. Admission to vacant seats starting from grade II through nine will require a written examination. Additionally, a provision has been enacted reserving 80 percent of seats for students from areas adjacent to schools in metropolitan Dhaka.
The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education issued this policy on Wednesday. The policy outlines admission procedures, age requirements, fees, reserved seats, and rules for conducting admission activities.
These guidelines were specified in the admission policy for students in secondary, lower secondary, and attached primary levels of private schools and school and colleges for the 2027 academic year.
According to the policy, students for class one admission must be selected through a lottery. Along with the selected students, a waiting list comprising an equivalent number of students must also be prepared. On the other hand, students for vacant seats in classes two through nine will be selected based on merit through a written test. For admission to class nine, students who have passed the class eight or equivalent examination will be eligible to apply.
For admission to class one, a student's age must be six years or more and less than seven years as of January 1, 2027. Accordingly, the date of birth must be between January 1 and December 31, 2020. An attested copy of the online birth registration certificate must be submitted as proof of age. For children with special needs, an age relaxation of up to a maximum of five years will be permitted.
For the admission test, the total marks for classes two and three are 50. This consists of 15 marks for Bengali, 15 for English, and 20 for mathematics. The exam duration is one hour. The total marks for the exam for classes four through nine are 100. This includes 30 marks for Bengali, 30 for English, and 40 for mathematics. The duration for this exam is two hours.
The policy stipulates a maximum of 55 students per class section. The academic year will run from January 1 to December 31.
For admissions in private schools within metropolitan Dhaka, 80 percent of seats must be reserved for students from catchment areas adjacent to the school. The remaining seats will be open to all. School authorities must collect information on potential students in the catchment area prior to the commencement of admission activities.
Admission and other fees have been fixed in the policy. Inclusive of session charges, the maximum admission fee is set at 500 taka in rural areas, 1,000 taka in upazila municipal areas, 2,000 taka in district headquarters municipal areas, and 3,000 taka in metropolitan areas outside Dhaka.
In MPO-enlisted educational institutions within Dhaka Metropolitan, a maximum of 5,000 taka can be collected, including admission and session charges. For partially MPO-enlisted and non-MPO institutions, the maximum fees are set at 8,000 taka for Bangla medium and 10,000 taka for English version. A maximum of 3,000 taka can be collected for development sectors in these institutions. When a student advances from one class to the next within the same institution, session charges may be collected, but re-admission fees cannot be taken. Instructions have also been given to provide fee waivers for poor, meritorious, and special needs students.
Additionally, 5 percent of seats will be reserved for children of freedom fighters and martyred freedom fighters, 2 percent for special needs students, 1 percent for children residing in orphanages, and a total of 2 percent for children of officers and employees of the Ministry of Education and its subordinate offices and organizations. Provisions have also been made to reserve 3 percent of seats for siblings and 2 percent for twin brothers and sisters.
An additional 5 percent of seats beyond the total section capacity in each class will be reserved for the admission of children of government employees transferred due to job relocation. In such cases, an application along with necessary supporting documents must be submitted within 12 months from the date of the transfer order.
The policy further states that no student can be admitted beyond the designated seat capacity. To ensure transparency and accountability in the admission process, monitoring committees will be formed at the Dhaka Metropolitan, district, and upazila levels. Provisions have been put in place for legal action, including the cancellation of MPO status, if admission or application fees are collected in excess of the prescribed limits.
