University admission seekers and their guardians are worried because of
the deferral of admission tests in public universities for general
strikes and blockade enforced by opposition political parties.
Political programmes have also caused inconvenience to the admission who cannot move about freely to take the tests.
As there is shortage of seats in public universities, aspirants usually
apply for admission in several universities and need to travel from one
city to another.
Admission tests usually take place on Friday but general strikes and
blockades enforced before and after the tests causes suffering to
admission seekers from far-off places.
Admission tests for first-year bachelor’s courses in seven public
universities were deferred because of general strikes and blockades
enforced by the opposition alliance.
Admission test in two other universities were deferred because of
movements by local people. Students seeking admission to at least three
universities suffered as the opposition alliance enforced a general
strike on the day before the admission tests.
Admission tests in the Islamic University was differed three times and
admission tests for two units in the University of Chittagong were
deferred twice.
The University of Dhaka postponed interviews for subject selection scheduled for November 29.
On Wednesday, the Islamic University deferred the admission tests for
the third time. The next date of the tests will be announced later, the
authorities said.
Convener of the university admission test committee Abdul Hakim Sarkar
said, ‘We are trying hard to set a date but failed every time for some
reasons.’
Barisal University differed tests for unit A, B, C and D to December 7
from November 28, a release issued by the university said.
Admission tests in Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University scheduled for
November 29 was postponed for an indefinite period. Admission test in
Sylhet Agricultural University scheduled for December 1 has also been
postponed.
The Chittagong University registrar, Safiul Alam, said that tests of
unit H and G had been deferred to December 7 from the scheduled November
29. With this, the date has been changed twice.
The universities said that the tests had been deferred for ‘unavoidable
reasons’ but officials said that the tests had been deferred because of
general strikes and blockades.
Rajshahi University admission test had been rescheduled to December 5–9
form the original scheduled of November 10–14 because of the 84-hour
general strike the BNP-led alliance started enforcing on November 10.
Comilla University postponed its admission test scheduled for November 6-8 and the new date was yet to be published.
Admission seekers of unit B and C in Dhaka University, Jagannath
University, and Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh also
suffered because of either the general strike or the blockade day before
of the tests.
The combined tests for admission to Shahjalal University of Science and
Technology and Jessore Science and Technology University scheduled for
November 30 have been postponed amid protests in Sylhet.
Faisal Amin, a guardian of an admission seeker, said that he was passing
sleepless night worrying about the future of his son as he was yet to
qualify for admission to Dhaka University. ‘I do not know whether my
child will be able to take any further admission test as strikes and
blockades are taking place.’
A total of 7.45 lakh students passed the HSC and equivalent examinations and were making preparations for admission tests.
The University Grants Commission chairman, AK Azad Chowdhury, said that
admission tests for universities were in jeopardy. He also feared that a
delay in admission tests could have a long-term adverse impact on the
academic calendar of the institutions as academic life could be
prolonged in several universities.
Because of the ongoing political turmoil, students are also facing
difficulty in taking the primary completion exams. Examinations for 3
days out of the 6 have so far been deferred.
This year, Junior School Certificate examinations of four days were
deferred. Several examinations of the SSC and the HSC were also deferred
because of political programmes.
Annual examinations of class I-IV and VI–IX are also being hampered because of the same reasons.
The opposition alliance threatened tougher programmes if its demand for a non-party, election-time government was not met.
The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, urged all political parties
not to plan any political programmes that could harm the academic life
of children, ‘Such political activities are delaying examinations and
putting pressure on examinees. Many of them may fail to achieve desired
results,’ he added. (source)