School admission lottery Thursday, 7,00,000 non-govt school seats set to stay empty

The annual digital lottery for admission into classes I to IX in government and non-government secondary schools across Bangladesh will be held on Thursday, December 11, at 10:00am at the International Mother Language Institute in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

According to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, this year’s online application window ran from November 21 to December 5, attracting 10,56,56,054 successful applicants for the 2026 academic session.

A total of 4,048 institutions – 688 government schools and 3,360 private schools – are participating. Overall, there are 11,93,281 vacant seats nationwide.

In government schools, demand far outstrips supply: 7,19,854 students have applied for just 1,21,030 seats – roughly six applicants per place. In stark contrast, only 3,36,196 applications were received for 10,72,251 seats in private institutions, meaning that even if every applicant is accommodated, approximately 7,36,055 seats in private schools will remain vacant when the new academic year begins.

Parents and students will not need to attend the venue in person. Results will be published online immediately after the lottery concludes and can be checked at the official portal (gsa.teletalk.com.bd) using the applicant’s ID and password. School heads will simultaneously receive the results, forward them to district and upazila admission committees, and begin the formal admission process for selected candidates.

The continued reliance on a centralised digital lottery reflects the government’s attempt to ensure transparency in the highly competitive admission process, particularly for the limited places in popular public schools. However, the huge surplus of unfilled seats in the private sector highlights persistent concerns over affordability and perceived quality differences between the two systems.