DU teachers uninterested in uniform entrance test

Most Dhaka University teachers and Ducsu leaders oppose the University Grants Commission's move to hold uniform admission test for all public universities.

They said a uniform test would compromise the "quality of students" getting into the university and the almost hundred-year-old institution would lose its uniqueness. 

DU authorities were yet to decide on the matter, said DU Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Samad, adding that they would accept the decision of the academic council, one of the highest bodies that deal with such matters. 

During a meeting with public university vice-chancellors, the UGC on January 23 decided that uniform admission tests would be held for the 2020-2021 academic year.

In a late January meeting of the DU's academic council, most teachers opposed the move. They again reiterate their stance during a meeting with Vice-Chancellor Md Aktaruzzaman on February 7.

A day later, Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) leaders in their executive meeting opposed the move. 

The test would harm the "uniqueness and tradition" of DU admission test, they said. 

DU Prof Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said, "I am not in favour of introducing uniform test in public universities for two reasons.

"Firstly, there is no reliable institution in our country which can hold such a massive test. Under the system, the examinees of groups will sit for a single test, which will complicate the procedure more.

"Every university is autonomous and there are two important aspects of autonomy -- appointing teachers and enrolling students. Both should be done as per the organisation's own decisions and universities should not adopt any system that may curtail their autonomy."

DU social science faculty dean Prof Sadeka Halim said good students could be left out and the uniqueness of DU would be compromised if uniform entrance tests were given.

She said uniform admission test were being given at medical colleges and that such tests could be given at engineering universities since the subjects taught there were similar.

"In general universities, the subjects are diverse. Coordinating the large numbers of diverse subjects with other universities is no easy matter. There will be complexities in students choosing their subjects," she added.

DU Pro VC Samad said no decision has been made. "The decision of the committee comprising deans of faculties and the academic council will be final." 

Sources said during the DU VC's February 7 meeting with several former vice-chancellors, emeritus professors, deans of faculties, provosts of dormitories, most participants opposed uniform entrance exams.

A section of the teachers opined that the university would lose earnings from the sale of admission forms and teachers would lose remuneration for invigilation and answer-script checking, said a senior teacher of arts faculty.

The UGC moved for uniform admission tests after Chancellor and President Abdul Hamid on several occasions asked public universities to hold uniform admission tests to ease sufferings of students and their guardians.  

According to the plan, students of humanities, science, and business studies would be eligible to take the tests on HSC syllabus.

UGC officials said several universities, including Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, were showing no interest in the uniform admission test.

UGC Chairman Prof Kazi Shahidullah on Monday said, "Expectations of the whole nation cannot remain unfulfilled due to the indecision of some universities ... .

"We should be alert so that the pride of some does not affect others."

UGC member Prof Dil Afroza Begum yesterday told The Daily Star, "We are determined to hold the uniform intake test this year. If some universities, including Dhaka University, do not want to accept the process, then we will hold the test excluding them."

The education ministry in 2010 had decided to introduce a uniform admission test, dubbed the "cluster system". But it did not happen due to opposition from several major universities.

Seven public agricultural universities last year introduced a uniform admission test while 38 other public universities held separate entrance exams.

VCS FOR UNIFORM TEST

Bangladesh Bishwabidyalaya Parishad, an association of public university vice-chancellors, in a meeting yesterday decided that all universities would have a uniform admission test for the 2020-2021 academic session.

The parishad in a statement said, "The vice chancellors of all universities unanimously took the decision giving importance to the wish of the president and to reduce the hassles of students." 

The VCs of DU, Buet, and Jahangirnagar University did not attend the meeting held at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.