Government School Admissions: Lottery for Class I, Written Test for classes II–IX

The Ministry of Education has issued the admission policy for government secondary schools for the upcoming 2027 academic year. Under the new policy, students will be selected for Class One by lottery. For vacant seats from Class Two to Class Nine, students will be admitted through a written test.

The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the ministry published the "Policy for Student Admission in Government Secondary Schools 2027" late on Tuesday night.

According to the policy, applications, fee collection, and the processing and publication of results for all government secondary schools across the country will be done entirely online in the 2027 academic year.

Class Size and Age Limits

The policy sets the number of students in each class section at 55. For Class One, although the National Education Policy 2010 sets the age at 6+, students aged between a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7 as of January 1, 2027 will be eligible to apply. An attested copy of the online birth registration certificate must be submitted as proof of age. For students with special needs, an additional age allowance of up to 5 years may be granted.

Admission Method and Marks Distribution

Class One students will be selected through a digital lottery. A student can list up to five schools in order of preference. At double-shift schools, however, choosing both shifts will count as two schools. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) will organize the lottery centrally, and transparency must be ensured in the process.

For vacant seats from Class Two to Class Nine, students must be selected in order of merit through a written test. For Classes Two to Five, the test carries 50 marks (Bangla 15, English 15, Mathematics 20; duration one hour). For Classes Six to Nine, it carries 100 marks (Bangla 30, English 30, Mathematics 40; duration two hours). Question papers will be prepared from textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and must be of good quality and appropriate to the class level.

Application Fees and Session Charges

For Class One, a maximum of Tk 110 may be charged for the application form, and for Classes Two to Nine a maximum of Tk 250. Admission fees, including session charges, must be set according to Ministry of Education directives.

Seat Reservation and Quotas

The policy reserves 40 percent of seats for students from the catchment area of government schools in the Dhaka metropolitan area. The remaining 60 percent will be open to all.

For Class Six admissions, 10 percent of total seats are reserved for graduates of standalone government primary schools. Five percent is reserved for children of freedom fighters and martyred freedom fighters, 2 percent for students with special needs, a total of 2 percent for children of officials and employees of the Ministry of Education and its subordinate offices, 3 percent for siblings of current students, and 2 percent for twins.

In addition, 5 percent extra seats per section will be reserved for children of government officials and employees who are transferred.

The policy also states that separate admission committees will be formed at the Dhaka metropolitan, district and upazila levels to oversee the entire admission process.