Dhaka, April 1 -- Sadeka Jahan Apsara, a girl living in Mirpur-12, studied up to Class Six at the conventional MDC Model Institute school and then transferred to Dhaka Ideal Cadet Madrasa in Rupnagar this year.

Madrasas in the country have seen an influx of students like Apsara in recent years, which has increased the range of education in this medium.

According to government statistics, the number of students in government-controlled Alia madrasas in primary and secondary classes has increased by a little over 250,000 in a span of four years.

The data gathered by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics or BANBEIS does not include Qawmi madrasas.

The data shows that the number of secondary school students decre...