DU, BUET agree to admit students through combined tests, says UGC

All the public universities, including the Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology or BUET, have agreed to admit students through combined tests to be held centrally from this year, according to the UGC.

The University Grants Commission announced the unanimous decision in a statement after a meeting chaired by its Chairman Kazi Shahidullah at its office in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Vice-chancellors of 12 universities, including the Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, BUET, Bangladesh Agricultural University, and commission members attended the meeting.

The UGC hopes to start the work in full swing in the first week of March to hold the tests, Shahidullah said in the statement. The commission would provide all-out help to the universities to take forward the activities, he added.

The authorities will form different committees with university teachers on them for the tests, according to the statement.

The schedule, exam system and other information will be announced later.

The statement came days after the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union or DUCSU objected to the efforts of Education Minister Dipu Moni to hold combined admission tests for all the public universities.

The DUCSU executive committee in a meeting chaired by its ex-officio President VC Md Akhtaruzzaman on Feb 8 proposed continuing the existing admission system in which the university arranges tests on its own.

BUET has not announced its decision on the matter either.

The UGC chairman on Feb 10 criticised the BUET and Dhaka University for their “indecision” and “egocentrism”. 

Bangladesh University Council, the body of vice-chancellors of the public universities, agreed to launch the combined system this year in a meeting on Tuesday.

The VCs of the Dhaka University and BUET were absent in the meeting.

Under the current system, the candidates need to travel to all the universities up and down the country for admission after passing HSC exams. They also have to take preparations differently for the admission tests of different universities.

Many, including former education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, have spoken about abolishing the system. He had initiated steps for combined tests once but could not succeed in the face of opposition from some quarters.

His successor Dipu Moni took measures last year to hold combined tests for university admission. She hoped it would be possible to introduce the new system this year.

The education minister argues that the combined tests will reduce the students’ sufferings and waste of money. She says such tests will especially benefit the female candidates.

The new system with combined tests will allow the candidates to choose their institution based on the results after taking the combined tests once without travelling to many places.