Admission guidelines for 11th graders: Writ challenges legality of 11pc seats for quota holders

The guardian of a student filed a writ petition at the High Court (HC) on Sunday challenging the legality of allocation of 11 percent seats for quota holders in the admission guidelines for 11th graders for the 2019-20 academic session.

The writ petition also sought directives for the cancellation of additional fees for admission, and a financial penalty for not attending classes.

The senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the education ministry, the chairman of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board of Dhaka, and the chairman and principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College's ad-hoc committee were made respondents in the writ.  

Advocate Yunus Ali Akand, guardian of a student at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College filed the writ. He said the HC might hear the writ on Monday. 

Yunus Ali Akhand said that on April 21, the education ministry issued the Admission Guidelines-2019 for 11th graders for the 2019-20 academic session.

Section 3.2 of the guidelines says 100 percent seats will be open to all on the basis of merit while admitting students to colleges in divisions and districts.  

In addition, five percent will be reserved as "freedom fighter quota", and three percent for students coming from outside the divisional headquarters.

Another two percent has to be reserved for children of the staff of the education ministry and its departments, the institution itself as well as for members of the college's managing body.

Besides, 0.5 percent seats will be reserved for children of expatriate Bangladeshis, and the remaining 0.5 percent for students of BKSP (the state-owned sports academy).

If no student is found under a particular quota, no additional seat will be allocated, as per the section.

In 2018, the government decided to admit students to colleges on the basis of merit only, doing away with the previous allocation of 11 percent seats for quota holders. But in the recent guidelines, it has restored the 11 percent seats for quota holders. 

However, the writ petition says that the allocation of an additional 11 percent seats for quota holders is illegal. 

If seats have to be kept for quota holders, those have to be within the 100 percent, said the petition. 

Furthermore, according to Section 5.5.2, Monthly Pay Order (MPO)-listed colleges in the Dhaka metropolitan area will not be allowed to charge more than Tk5,000 in admission fees.  

Though there is a clear instruction for not charging more than Tk5,000, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College is charging Tk8,300 as admission fees, the petition adds. 

The guidelines say that colleges can charge students Tk50 per day for being absent without cause, and Tk30 for skipping a class due to illness. But charging fines without issuing any show-cause notice is illegal, said the petitioner.