Public universities to decide on admission test Saturday

The Bangladesh Bishwabidyalay Parishad (BBP), a platform of vice-chancellors at public universities, will decide on the university admission process on October 17.

The organisation will submit its recommendations to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for its final approval.

At a virtual meeting with the vice-chancellors on Thursday, UGC asked the BBP to decide on the process of university admission this year.

Professor Dr Dil Afroza Begum, a member of the UGC, told The Business Standard that they have discussed with the vice-chancellors about the process of university admission tests.

"The vice-chancellors have agreed to hold a meeting on October 17 to prepare a draft on the university admission test process. They have also been asked to submit their decisions to the UGC for its final approval," she said.

"We have also discussed the online classes and examination system. We have observed that both the teachers and the students have been facing severe internet-related complications. We have asked the VCs to take immediate action to make internet services available for both the students and the teachers."  

Professor Dr Alamgir, another member of the higher education regulatory body, told TBS that there are multiple problems in conducting online classes.

"We have requested the VCs to be more understanding in this regard," he said.

"The UGC has sent a list of 42,000 students to the education ministry for allocating money to insolvent students to buy digital devices and internet packages. But we are yet to get any response from the ministry."  

Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, vice-chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, told TBS, "We will try to make a decision about the university admission test in Saturday's meeting."  

The government has decided not to hold the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations this year due to the ongoing pandemic, and instead it will publish results based on students' performances at Junior School Certificate and SSC examinations.

As a result, all the 13 lakh HSC examinees will pass the exams this year. It is the first time that all examinees will pass without any examinations.

According to sources, most of the public universities will go for combined enrolment tests. But, Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Chattogram University, Rajshahi University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will hold their admission tests separately.