Class XI admission likely to begin next week

Admission to Class XI at colleges, madrasas and technical institutions across Bangladesh is expected to begin next week, with the entire process scheduled to be completed by September 15, education officials said on Wednesday (August 12).

Dhaka Education Board Secretary Prof SM Kamal Uddin Haider said the application date has not yet been finalised but is likely to be announced by Sunday or Monday.

“The date for Class XI admission has not been fixed yet. Hopefully, it will be decided by Sunday or Monday next week,” Haider told reporters at the Dhaka Education Board.

The Education Ministry has instructed the authorities to complete the admission process for the new academic year by September 15. The decision came shortly after the results of this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations were published on Monday.

A total of 11,38,877 students passed the SSC and equivalent examinations out of 18,29,485 candidates, with the overall pass rate falling to 62.25%. Some 1,16,676 students secured GPA-5.

The sharp decline in the pass rate is expected to leave a large number of seats vacant at the higher secondary level. According to data from the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, Bangladesh has 9,314 institutions offering higher secondary education, with a combined capacity of around 2.75 million seats.

Of these, 8,071 colleges and madrasas under nine general education boards and the Madrasa Education Board have 25,90,387 seats for Class XI. More than 1,000 technical institutions under the Technical Education Board have an additional 150,000-plus seats.

Based on this year’s SSC results, officials estimate that nearly 1.7 million seats could remain vacant. The number could increase further as some SSC graduates traditionally do not enrol in higher secondary education.

Education officials and institutional authorities said the lower number of eligible students could significantly change this year’s admission landscape, particularly for institutions already facing declining enrolment.

Instead of competing for limited seats, many colleges and other institutions may face a bigger challenge this year in attra