Parents in frenzied race

Children in queue face first ever interview in life to get admitted to school in the port city while anxious guardians wait for their wards. The picture was taken from Saint Mary's School. PHOTO: STAR

Nine government schools at secondary level have already started selling admission forms for some 2,000 seats since December 13 ahead of the new academic year.

The parents and guardians are in a frenzied race to get admitted their children to 15 schools for quality education. At least 25,000 children will vie for 3,000 seats in these educational institutions every year.

The number of schools, government, non-government, at primary and secondary level are around 720 and 150 respectively in the city, said the sources at Primary Education Office and Chittagong Education Board.

Around 50 English medium schools, including kindergarten, run in the city charging higher fees.

Of them, reputed schools like Ispahani Public School and College, Bawoa (Bangladesh Women Association) School and College, Silver Bells, Saint Mary's School, Residential Model School and Ideal School enrol 700 children in KG- One or preparatory classes every year.

Seventy children are enrolled at Cantonment Public School and College in class four.

There is always a rush for admission to Ispahani Public and Colleges and Bawoa School that offer education up to Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC).

The admission test for 100 seats in KG-One at Ispahani Public School will be held on December 22. It has started sale of admission forms on December 18 to close today while the last date for submission of forms is December 21.

Besides, about 2,000 children are enrolled at secondary level at government schools -- Collegiate School, Dr Khastagir Govt Girls High School, Chittagong Govt School, Govt Muslim High School, Nasirabad Govt Boys School, Nasirabad Govt Girls High School, Bakalia Govt Laboratory High School, Govt Mohsin High School and Govt City Girls High School.

Of them, Collegiate School, Nasirabad Girls School and Govt Mohsin High School, however, will start admission of larger number of students in class five from the next academic year.

As such, a greater number of students will have the opportunity to get admission in class five in the government schools this year.

A total of 830 students will be enrolled in class five and 720 in class six in the government schools in the new academic year.

Sale of admission forms in these schools from class four to class nine will continue until December 24.

The parents and the guardians wait in long queues for admission forms for their children in these schools every day.

Collegiate School will sell forms for 120 seats for class five, 230 for class six and 40 for class nine while Khastagir School will sell forms for 230 seats for only class five.

Hasmat Jahan, headmistress of Khastagir school, said they have decided to enrol only in class five in four sections.

Nasirabad Boys and Nasirabad Girls schools will enrol 120 students each in both the class five and class six while Nasirabad Boys School 40 students in class nine.

Muslim High School has 120 seats for class-five, 120 seats for class six and 40 for class nine while Mohsin High School has 50 seats for class five, 60 for class six and 40 for class nine for new enrollment.

Bakalia Laboratory School has 60 seats for class five and class six each while City Girls School will sell forms for 10 seats for classes from class four to class nine.

The admission tests of all these schools will be held for the same classes on the same day. The test for class nine will be held on January 7, for class six, class seven and class eight on January 8 while test for class four and class five will be held on January 9.

Mohammad Aziz Uddin, headmaster of Chittagong Collegiate School, said crisis in admission aggravates as the government has not established new high school in the port city for years with increase in admission seekers.

Zahidul Karim, an anxious guardian at Chittagong Collegiate School, said admission test for the same classes the same day will give his ward no scope to try other schools.