M M Jasim :
The students, who passed this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate examination, are facing severe troubles as they have to move from one area of the country to another area for taking part in the university admission tests.
Their guardians too are in the mire, as they accompany their children for their safety.
The students and the guardians said, it is very painful task to travel several hundred kilometers after attending a varsity admission test in one area. At the same time they are facing transport crisis on the way to their destination.
Syed Redwan Ahmed, a candidate for admission test, told The New Nation that he took part in the admission tests at Dhaka University and Jagannath University and Medical colleges. “Now I am going to Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), but I have failed to manage a train and bus ticket. I am now under tremendous mental pressure and my participation in admission test at Sylhet is uncertain,” he said.
Jannatul Ferdous, another candidate, said, she will attend the admission test at Rajshahi University on October 23. She also applied for admission in Chittagong University and the test to be held on October 27.
“There is a long distance between Rajshahi University and Chittagong University. It will be very difficult for me to sit for the admission test at Chittagong after attendng the Rajshahi University test,” she said.
Shamsul Islam, a banker guardian, told this correspondent that his daughter applied at DU, JU, RU, SUST and CU. He faces very tough situation as he is accompanying his daughter to go to every university.
“I have been doing banking job. It is very difficult for me to give times to my daughter,” he said.
The students and the guardians said that the government can reduce the problems and sufferings during the public universities’ admission test by introducing the unified admission test.
But unfortunately there is no visual strong initiative to hold unified admission test, they said.
Sources in the University Grants Commission (UGC) said on Thursday that the Education Ministry along with the commission formed a seven members high powered committee headed by UGC chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan on 14 January to ensure that the long awaited directives of President Abdul Hamid are implemented.
The committee members said that a ‘concept paper’ would be finalised on February 15, but, till now, there is no news of it, and the committee has organised a single meeting so far.
UGC Chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan said, the UGC alone cannot do it because there are other stakeholders in the public universities, and that consensus among all is very important to introduce the system.
“It was a directive from the President himself, who is also the chancellor of all universities, a long time ago to reduce the sufferings and hassles of admission-seekers as well as guardians. But we alone cannot do it. We have only held a meeting so far,” he said.
“We have to take a decision with all. Vice-chancellors of different universities have already formed a separate committee. There are some who want this while others don’t. So we cannot make the decision unilaterally,” he added.
When asked about the time necessary to introduce the system, he said, “Nothing can be done overnight. Let’s see how it can be done.”
Seven years ago, an initiative was taken to introduce a uniform examination system for admission to public universities to reduce the trouble faced by students and guardians at the time of the admission tests, which are held separately in different parts of the country.
The country’s medical colleges only have implemented this uniform examination system, in which the students sit just for a single test and are selected for the colleges in accordance with their merit. The same system was considered for all public universities in 2010, but little progress has been achieved so far in this respect, except for a few meetings.
Under the system, the examinees would sit once for the admission test and get admitted to universities in accordance with their merit. This one test system would save on fees and accommodation and transportation costs.
But few notwithstanding public universities have opposed this ‘cluster system’, saying it would cut the income they earn by selling admission forms.
