Dhaka Residential Model College was established by the then President of Pakistan Field Marshal Ayub Khan in 1960 on an area of about 52 acres beside Mirpur Road near Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka.[citation needed]
In 1962, the administration of DRMC was assumed by the provincial government of then East Pakistan.[2]
In 1965, the government converted the institution into an autonomous body, and its administration was relegated to a board of governors with the Chief Secretary as its chairman. In 1967, the government again took control of the school. At that time, a new board of governors was constituted with the Education Secretary as its chairman. The school opened its eleventh and twelfth grades in 1967.[3]
The initial purpose of establishing DRMC was to provide education for the sons of elite military officers and high-ranking government officials in East Pakistan. The school, and later the college, were modeled after public schools in the United Kingdom (according to the British Public Schools Act 1868), particularly Eton College.
The house system was designed to resemble Eton's. After the independence of Bangladesh, a board of governors was appointed with the Education Secretary as its chairman. Since its inception, the school has been funded through government grants and minimal student fees. The Board of Governors has been empowered to “frame rules as it deems necessary for the proper functioning of the school”.[3]
The school began with only one study session, known as the Morning shift which operates from 07:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. In March 1993, another session known as the Day shift was added, according to the education expansion policy of the government, to cope with the growing number of students.[4]
The day shift session operates from 12:30 p.m. to 05:10 p.m. Measures were taken to build park, swimming pool, auditorium, mosque, administrative building, hospital and residences for the principal, vice-principal, teachers and school staff.