359,000 students apply for admission to public, private schools in five days

Online applications for grades 1 to 9 have surged, with government schools facing overwhelming demand and private institutions far below capacity

More than 359,000 students have applied online for admission to grades 1 through 9 at government and private schools across Bangladesh in five days since the window opened.

Government institutions received nearly twice as many applications as available seats, reflecting a familiar pattern, while private schools report far lighter demand.

“Across the country, 260,244 students have applied for 121,030 seats at 688 government schools,” said Prof Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, member of the Dhaka Metropolitan Admission Committee, on Tuesday.

“At 3,360 private schools offering 1,072,251 seats, we have received 98,762 applications,” said Moinuddin, who is also a director of the Secondary Admissions Branch of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE).

The online application process, which began at 11am on Friday, will remain open until 5pm on Dec 5. Students and parents can apply via https://gsa.teletalk.com.bd, filing separate applications for government and private schools.

Each application, submitted with a Tk 100 fee, allows up to five school choices, with both shifts in double-shift schools counting as separate selections.

The education ministry caps the maximum number of students per section at 55. Last year, the application fee was Tk 110.

The tentative date for the central digital lottery is Dec 14, with admission for selected students running Dec 17–21. Two waiting lists follow: the first from Dec 22–24, and the second from Dec 27–30. Students with special needs may receive up to five additional years of age flexibility.

For schools in Dhaka city, 40 percent of vacant seats are reserved for students from adjacent catchment areas; this policy does not apply outside the capital.