Not cluster, Jagannath University holds firm to independent admission tests

The university is ready to conduct admission tests under its own management, the VC says

Jagannath University has held firm to the decision of conducting entrance exams under its own management despite the education ministry's “instruction” following its repeated "requests" to return to the cluster system.

The educational institution also finalised the admission tests for the 2024-25 academic year starting from Jan 31.

The university's Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Rezaul Karim says the institution will hold the tests "separately" per the law.

He told bdnews24.com on Tuesday: "We will inform the education ministry about the decision. The entrance tests will be held in the university’s own system through the admission committee per the decision of the academic council following the law.

“It is our final decision. Jagannath University is ready to conduct the admission tests under its own management."

Earlier in the morning, the JnU administration issued a notification saying the university is not moving away from its decision to conduct the admission tests with its own method and management per the university law.

The notification posted on the university's Facebook page said the admission process for the first semester students of the institution’s 2024-25 academic year will be completed in the manner prescribed in the “Jagannath University Act-2005” passed by the parliament in 2005 under the leadership of then prime minister Khaleda Zia.

The Act stipulates that the admission of students to the university shall be governed by the admission committee constituted by the academic council.

On Monday, the education ministry directed the vice-chancellors of universities to conduct cluster admission tests after three-fold "requests”.

The ministry’s Secondary and Higher Education Division sent a letter to the vice-chancellors with the “instruction” amid the exit of several universities from the cluster system and efforts by several others to do so.

The letter said the vice-chancellors of the universities under the cluster system have been "instructed" to take necessary measures to "strictly" comply with the admission programme for the 2024-25 academic year considering the "interests and demands" of the students.

The cluster admission programme began in the government general, agriculture, engineering and technology, and science and technology universities in 2020 to reduce the sufferings of students and parents. In the last academic year, 24 universities have taken admission in this system.

However, the process of cluster admission tests in the new academic year has not yet started. Existing the cluster system, Jagannath University, Khulna University and the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology have already begun the admission process in their own method. Several other universities have also opted for so.