Woman forced out of exam hall despite having admit card

A female job seeker -- deemed “unfit for the post” -- was forced out from the admission hall at Pabna University of Science & Technology (PUST) yesterday morning, even though the university authorities issued her admit card for the recruitment test.

Sabina Yesmin, of village Bagutia in Chowhali upazila of Sirajganj, stayed on the campus till completion of the examination at 12pm.

The incident occurred during the teacher recruitment test for Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

“I applied for the post of lecturer at Department of Urban and Regional Planning of PUST. The university authorities issued an admit card, so I came to take the test. I was allowed to enter the examination hall and received my paper but all of a sudden, two teachers approached me and said I was not fit for the post. They forced me out of the exam hall,” Sabina told journalists. “If I’m not fit for the post, why did they [university authorities] issue an admit card?” Sabina asked, alleging the authorities of harassing her. 

Speaking to The Daily Star, Bijon Kumar Brahma, additional registrar of PUST (who issued the admit card), claimed that Sabina did not fulfil all the requirements for the recruitment.

Chairman (In Charge) of Urban and Regional Planning department of PUST, Md Sohel Rana, said the post required minimum GPA 4 in SSC and HSC but the applicant scored GPA 3.8 in HSC and so she was rejected for the recruitment test.

When asked why the admit card was issued, he said it might be a mistake.

The candidate might be selected earlier, so my sister was not allowed to sit for the exam, said Rezaul Haque, brother of the applicant.

“My sister fulfilled all the requirements set by the government, so she applied,” Rezaul, also a staff of the university, said.

Despite repeated attempts, Vice Chancellor of PUST Dr Rustom Ali could not be reached for comment. His phone was switched off yesterday. Pro-VC Dr Anwarul Islam did not receive calls either.