Even after the completion of the centrally conducted lottery-based admission process, nearly 900,000 seats still remain vacant in government and private schools across the country.
The Ministry of Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) have instructed schools to admit interested students on the basis of available seats.
According to DSHE sources on Thursday, a total of 305,499 students secured admission in schools through the lottery this year against 1,195,513 available seats. This means that 889,014 seats remain vacant in both government and private schools.
In 2026, out of 121,596 seats in government schools, 107,521 students were admitted. Additionally, in private schools, 197,978 students secured admission against 1,072,917 available seats.
Professor Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, Director at the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, told TIMES of Bangladesh, “After the completion of the lottery-based admission process, schools are allowed to admit students in the remaining vacant seats following the existing policy.
With the department’s approval, the institutions may conduct local lotteries to enroll students.”
However, to ensure transparency in locally conducted admissions, representatives from the DSHE, the respective Deputy Commissioner’s office, and other relevant authorities must remain present. The DSHE has also instructed schools to prioritize candidates from the previous waiting list during the local admission process.
