College admission of 67 in Nilphamari uncertain

College admission of 67 students has become uncertain as the school authorities allegedly held up their documents although the time for admission into the higher secondary class under the education board concerned expires tomorrow.
The students and guardians said that the authorities of Khalisha Belpukur Bohumukhi High School in Saidpur upazila did it to force the students to admit into the college set up through upgrading the institution this year.
But sources said that the institution is yet to get permission from Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Dinajpur, to admit students in higher secondary class.
As per directive of the education board, the last date for admission into the first year of higher secondary class this year is July 20.
Many of the 67 students passing the SSC this year from Khalisha Belpukur Bohumukhi High School have good results and are eligible to get admission into a good college, guardians said.
As the students went to receive mark sheets, testimonials, character certificate etc, the school authority first adopted a dilly-dallying policy, they said.
At one stage, they expressed unwillingness to deliver the academic documents, saying that the process was on to upgrade the institution into a 'high school and college' and the students who passed SSC this year would be compulsorily admitted into that college, they said.
By this time admission started in different colleges and now the time for admission is on the verge of expiry.
The decision to hold up the academic transcripts was taken at a meeting of the school managing committee, said the school's headmaster, Fazlar Rahman.
When contacted, Upazila Education Officer Selina Begum said, “It is not legal to hold up a student's academic transcript to force him to admit into a particular college. Necessary steps will be taken after inquiry.”
Saidpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sabina Alam told newsmen that action will be taken as per law if any guardian lodges complaint in this connection.