Uniform admission test for public universities not this year
The plan to hold a single admission test for all public universities of the country is not being implemented, according to the sources at the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The UGC on 31 October sent a draft guideline to the education ministry to hold a uniform entry test for the academic year 2023-2024 but it did not get a nod from the ministry.
Education ministry and UGC sources said the admission test this year will be held in a cluster system like in the previous year. UGC member Mohammad Alamgir, who is currently on routine duty as UGC chairman, at a meeting today, Wednesday confirmed the admission tests will be held in the cluster system this year too.
Muhammad Alamgir had told Prothom Alo several days ago that the UGC sent the draft guideline for a uniform admission test to the education ministry and taking examinations under this system would not be possible if an ordinance was not passed immediately.
Currently there are 55 public universities and 113 private universities in the country. The private universities take their admission tests separately. Some public universities including Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University and Jahangirnagar University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) arrange admission tests of their own.
But most of the public universities take admission tests in clusters. As many as 22 general and science and technology universities hold tests in a cluster, three engineering universities (CUET, KUET and RUET) in a cluster and seven agriculture universities take tests in a different cluster.
The UGC thinks the existing admission test system needs a revamp due to procrastination, physical and economical sufferings of applicants and guardians. The president also advocated uniform admission tests for undergraduate level.
With this in mind, the government took the initiative of a central admission test from this academic year. It planned to hold three different admission tests for three different groups—science, humanities and business. The universities will admit students based on the results of these tests.
The UGC also plans to form a separate body named National Testing Authority (NTA) as in India which will take the uniform tests. But initiating such a system this year is not feasible due to time constraints. That’s why the UGC took initiative to take the entry test this year by forming a body with representatives from different universities. As there is no parliament session right now due to the national election, the UGC planned to have an ordinance and take the test with a new method.
As per the draft, the UGC chairman would be the chief of this body. It will comprise two UGC members and vice chancellors of Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh Agriculture University, BUET, Chittagong University and Jahangirnagar University, four more VCs from other universities nominated by the UGC chairman. An official who is not below the rank of a director of UGC would work as secretary at the body.
As per the draft guidelines, this body will start the process after announcement of HSC results. But the body has not been formed nor was the ordinance passed after the HSC results were published.
Muhammad Alamgir said the UGC took the initiative of uniform admission tests for universities as per the wish of the president. A draft ordinance was also formulated upon forming a committee and discussing the issue in detail. But this system could not be introduced from this admission session due to unavoidable reasons.
He urged DU, BUET and other universities that do not take part in the cluster admission system to partake in the cluster test this year.
He also raised questions about the rationale to keep the ‘dependent quota’ in public university admission tests and urged the universities to do away with this quota system.