School lottery application opens on Friday

Applications for admission of new students in class I to IX at all government and private schools across the country can be submitted from Friday.

As over the past few years, students will get school admission opportunities through a digital lottery this time too.

Education Ministry issued a notification on the admission policies on Thursday.

In this year’s admission policy of government and private schools, the Ministry of Education has said that there will be 55 students in each class section of these schools. The admission policy has also instructed schools to follow the “National Education Policy 2010” in determining the age for admission to class I.

According to the policy, if a student is at least five years old and maximum seven years old on the first day of the academic year, they can apply for admission to class I. However, a certified copy of their online birth certificate must be submitted to determine the age. However, students with special needs also get a benefit that allows them to apply for an additional period up to five more years.

The Ministry of Education has said that 40 percent of the total vacant seats in schools in Dhaka Metropolitan City will be reserved for students from the adjacent “catchment areas”. However, this decision will not be applicable to government and private schools outside Dhaka Metropolitan City.

Prof Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, a member of the Dhaka Metropolitan Admission Committee and director of the Secondary Admissions Branch of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, said, "Online applications will open from 11am on Friday. We have made all necessary preparations. Students can apply online from their homes and pay the fee using Teletalk prepaid mobiles. The admission application fee has been set at Tk 100."

Applications can be submitted through the website https://gsa.teletalk.com.bd until 5pm on Dec 5. The online application fee was previously Tk 100, but this year it has been reduced to 10.

December 14 is the potential date for the lottery, with admissions being resolved between Dec 17-21.

There will be two waiting lists this year as well. The admission committee says that students will be admitted from the first waiting list from December 22-24 and from the second waiting list from December 27-30.