SSC-passed students to face stiff competition in getting space in elite colleges

Dhaka, July 10 (BDNEWS) – With publication of results, the successful students in the SSC examination are going to encounter a stiff competition to get space in the elite colleges in the city for their next studies, as the number of seats in those institutions is limited.

Even a good number of students who got highest grade point average (GPA) 5 in the in the first public examination of their lives would fail to get admitted in the reputed city colleges due to seat crisis as many meritorious students from outside Dhaka would come to study HSC in the capital.

Sources said that the colleges would face a huge pressure to select students for admission in the HSC courses, as the number of students with good GPA is much more than the seats available in the leading colleges.

The number of renowned colleges in the city is not more than 10 to 12, and seat capacity of such public and private colleges in Dhaka is about 8,000.

This year, a record number of 17,276 examinees from all the nine education boards got GPA 5 in the SSC examination.

Meanwhile, over 60 thousands SSC-passed students would also fail to get admitted due to seat crisis in the colleges across the country.

According to the sources in the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), there are 2,691 colleges, including 251 government ones, in the country.

The total seat capacity of these colleges is not more than 4.5 lakh where the number of successful students is over 5.09 lakh.

"The number of reputed colleges in the city is 10 to 12 only, and only one or two colleges in the district towns have some reputation," one of the officials of BANBEIS said.

Moreover, the students of science group will have to face tougher competition for admission as most of the students who got GPA 5 are from this group.

Of the total GPA-5 achievers, 15,631 examinees secured the highest grade point in the examinations under the seven general education boards, with 5,672 from Dhaka board alone.

Of the total 15,631 GPA achievers under seven education boards, 13,961 are from science group while 1,384 from commerce and 219 from humanities.

Admission in the colleges was given on the basis of the results in the SSC examination during the last two years and the system is likely to be continued this year also, sources in the Education Ministry said.

Moreover, the students who came out successful with GPA 4 and above but below 5, especially from science group, would not be able to get space in the renowned colleges in the city.

Notre Dame College, Dhaka College, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Ideal School and College, Holy Cross School and College, Residential Model School and College, Dhaka City College and Dhaka Commerce College are some of the noted colleges in the city.

The Dhaka College enrolled 650 students last year, with 350 in science and 150 each in humanities and commerce groups on the basis of results.

"There is no chance to increase the number of seats or any change in admission procedure this year," one of the officials of Dhaka College, which is reluctant to admit students in intermediate level over the last few years, told the BDNEWS.

This may be the last admission in the HSC level, he hinted. "All the arrangements have been completed, now we are waiting for the ministry's nod," he added.

The Dhaka City College has 575 seats, with 375 for science and 100 each for humanities and commerce while Viqarunnisa Noon School and College 1100 seats, with 500 for science and 300 each for humanities and commerce.

Notre Dame College had admitted 2,150 students in science, commerce and humanities groups last year and there is a little chance to increase the seat number this year. Dhaka Commerce College enrolled the highest 900 commerce students last year.

The Ideal College has 1,050 seats, with 400 each for science and commerce, and 250 for humanities. Holy Cross College has 400 seats for the higher secondary education. The Lalmatia Women's College has 750 seats.

Residential Model College is yet to decide on how many students they will take this year, but the number will not exceed 300.

"We will sit next week to fix the admission procedure and number of seats," one of the officials of the college said.

He, however, said that they might ask only GPA-5 achievers to apply for getting admission into the college.

BDNEWS/1618 hrs