More than 30 institutions in less than one square kilometre in Lalmatia, residential life under pressure

In Dhaka's Lalmatia residential area, stepping out of home brings one educational institution after another into view. There is a school on this side of the road and another on the other side. Walking a few steps in the same block reveals new institutions. Some are Bangla-medium, some English-medium, some madrasas and some coaching centres.

According to the Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), the Lalmatia residential area covers only 0.73 square kilometres. Within this small area there are government and private schools and colleges, English-medium institutions, madrasas, coaching centres and various specialised institutions.

On a recent day, from 11:30am to 3pm, a visit to different blocks of Lalmatia found more than 30 institutions. Entering C Block along Zakir Hossain Road with local rickshaw-puller Delwar, schools appeared one after another. Several institutions can be found within a few steps on the same road.

The institutions seen on the spot include Lalmatia Government Mohila College, Government Lalmatia Housing Society Higher Secondary School and Lalmatia Government Primary School. There are also Lalmatia Girls' High School and College, Foundation School and College, Bengali Medium High School and Sohoj Path High School.

English-medium and international institutions include Averroes International School, Kookaburra Australian Standard School, St Paul's School, Academia, Oxford International School, Education International School, Wheaton International School, Crestwood English Medium School, Mangrove School, British Columbia School, Excellence International School, Legend International School and Premier School, Dhaka. At least six campuses of Averroes International School were seen in the area.

Religious institutions include Jamia Islamia, Madrasa Nure Madina, Mashkul Quran, Madrasatul Kalam and Islamia Madrasa. Beyond schools there are the Shanto-Mariam Institute of Creative Technology, Future Barristers Academy and various coaching centres. A coaching centre named Educate Academy is also run alongside Education International School in the area.

Complete government information on the registration of Lalmatia's institutions, the number of approved campuses and their curricula was not available. Questions also remain over the approval and registration status of several institutions. Local residents allege there is no one to look into these matters.

Activity of the much-discussed 'Peace School' was seen in Lalmatia's D Block. In August 2016, the education ministry ordered the cancellation of teaching permission for Lalmatia's Peace International School over allegations of involvement in controversial activities. The Dhaka Education Board later cancelled the school's temporary registration. After the Peace School closed, its old building was demolished and Averroes International School was established there. Local residents have demanded verification of the registration and approval status of the Peace School now operating in D Block.

Belal Ahmed, president of the Lalmatia Housing Society security committee, said: 'The number of coaching centres and English-medium schools in Lalmatia has grown so much that we residents are now almost held hostage. Our normal life is being disrupted because of these institutions. Traffic jams form on the roads when school classes start and end.' He sought initiatives from the administration and the relevant directorate, and a specific policy.

Toufiq Ahmed Bijoy, drummer of the band 'Ashes', who had come to Lalmatia that day for personal work, said: 'The government should decide how many institutions are needed here. It also needs to set how much tuition fee English-medium schools can charge. Population density is high here and the roads are narrow. When school ends, the road gets blocked.' He did not blame institutions alone for the traffic; he also cited battery-run rickshaws and footpath occupation.

A resident of F Block, speaking on condition of anonymity, said effective steps are urgent to reduce traffic in front of schools, footpath occupation and pressure on roads. Local residents want to know how many institutions there are in Lalmatia, which ones have registration and approval, whether multiple campuses are being run under one registration, and whether the conditions for setting up institutions in a residential area are being followed.

Responsibility for approving private Bangla-medium schools has changed at different times between the education ministry and education boards. The 2022 policy gave the final responsibility for such approvals to education boards. However, on 5 April 2026 an office order assigned the responsibility to the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the education ministry, and a revised order on the same matter was published on 29 July. Even after that, the ministry has continued the work of on-site inspection of schools and verification of applications through education board officials.