Prothom Alo and British Council Conclude Inaugural English Medium School Admission Fair 2026 With Stakeholder Exchange Meeting

The inaugural English Medium School Admission Fair 2026 successfully concluded, providing a vital platform for parents to evaluate educational options for their children in an increasingly globalized academic landscape. Organized by the British Council and Prothom Alo, the hybrid event featured a 10-day online portal, englishmediumadmissionfair.com, from April 26 to May 5, which recorded over 167,000 visitors and more than 550 registrations. This digital engagement was complemented by an in-person fair held on May 2 at the Shooting Club in Dhaka’s Gulshan area.

Representatives from 17 English-medium schools, along with sponsors including CHS Education, Prime Bank, and Brothers Furniture, gathered on Monday at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar to discuss the fair’s impact. During the event, A.B.M. Javed Sultan, Chief Digital Business Officer at Prothom Alo, noted that the fair effectively addressed the challenge many parents face in selecting the right institution. He expressed a commitment to making the fair a recurring initiative to bridge the gap between families and top-tier English-medium schools.

Partners emphasized the importance of sustained collaboration. Tahnee Yasmin, Business Development Director at the British Council, credited the partnership with Prothom Alo for bringing numerous schools under one umbrella, a feat she described as otherwise unachievable. Other participants, including Nazmul Hasan of CHS Education and Sharifuzzaman Sarker of Brothers Furniture, highlighted the need to address the career limitations faced by some English-medium graduates and suggested broader integration with national educational and employment frameworks.

School administrators from outside Dhaka, such as Ishtiaq Milon Pol of Project Headway Grammar School in Rajshahi and Abu Hena Md. Sarowar Jahan of North West International School in Rangpur, advocated for expanding the fair’s reach nationwide. They stressed that parents should view education as a critical investment, regardless of the geographical location of the institution.

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Prothom Alo Managing Editor Anisul Haque responded to concerns regarding cultural integration, suggesting that students from English-medium schools could participate in existing youth-centric programs such as Kishor Alo and various school outreach initiatives. Editorial staff encouraged students to contribute to the publication’s literary and educational features to foster a deeper interest in the Bengali language and national heritage.

The event concluded with a prize-giving ceremony for the fair’s raffle draw winners. Azharul Haque, Sabbir H. Rahman, and Lakhi Sultana received prizes sponsored by Brothers Furniture. Commemorative crests were also presented to representatives of the participating schools and sponsors, recognizing their contributions to the successful staging of the admission fair.