The schedule for Class-XI admissions and the commencement of classes for the upcoming academic year is being brought forward.
According to a new proposal by the education boards, online applications for Class-XI admissions will begin on 2 September and continue until 10 September. It has been proposed that classes will commence on 23 September following the completion of the admission process.
A senior official from the Dhaka Education Board told Prothom Alo that they have submitted a proposal outlining this schedule to the Ministry of Education. They expect to receive approval from the ministry by Thursday.
Previously, the plan was to accept applications for Class-XI admissions from 15 September and begin classes on 12 November after concluding the admission procedures.
According to sources at the Dhaka Education Board, admissions to Class-XI this year will once again be based on Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examination results. There will be no admission tests. Applications will be processed centrally online, and students will be allocated places based on their results, preferences, and applicable quotas.
For several years, Class-XI admissions have been conducted based on SSC and equivalent results. Intending applicants must submit online applications with a selection of a minimum of five and a maximum of 10 colleges or equivalent educational institutions upon payment of a prescribed fee. Subsequently, candidates are allocated to an institution considering their marks, choice order, and quota provisions.
The Dhaka Education Board manages the central online Class-XI admission process with technical support from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Admission to colleges and madrasahs is conducted under this system. Institutions under the Technical Education Board follow a separate admission procedure. Except for a few institutions like Notre Dame College in Dhaka, almost all colleges and madrasahs across the country admit students to Class-XI through this system.
A source from the Dhaka Education Board stated that all aspiring students must apply within the designated window from 2 to 10 September. Those who have applied for result re-examinations must also apply during this period. However, applicants whose results change following re-examination will be given additional time to apply. Re-examination results are scheduled for publication on 10 September.
As per the education boards' proposal, candidates whose results change after re-examination will be eligible to apply on 12 and 13 September. Following verification, the admission process will take place on 20, 21, and 22 September, after which classes will start on 23 September.
However, students who do not secure a place at any college or madrasah during this period and process, fail to get their desired institution, or are unable to apply for any reason will be granted another opportunity to apply immediately after 23 September.
This year, over 400,000 candidates have submitted nearly 1.3 million applications for the re-examination of their SSC and equivalent exam results.
Of these, over 1,056,000 applications were submitted for written (theoretical) exam scripts, while over 231,000 applications were submitted for practical exam scripts.
Over half the seats to remain vacant
The results of the SSC and equivalent examinations were published on 10 August. This year, there were 1,829,485 candidates across 11 education boards, of whom 1,138,877 passed—meaning nearly 700,000 candidates failed to pass.
There are approximately 2.5 million seats available for Class-XI across colleges and madrasahs. Consequently, there is a likelihood that more than half of the total seats will remain vacant this year.
However, despite the surplus of seats, not all students with GPA-5 will secure admission to their preferred institutions, as seats in relatively reputable colleges are limited.
This year, over 116,000 students secured GPA-5 across 11 education boards, with 106,009 students achieving GPA-5 across the nine general education boards.