This is the time when students' fate is decided. Apart from those sitting for school final examinations of different classes, young learners appear for two public examinations of class V and class VIII. But the anxiety, agony and turbulence students seeking admission to higher seats of learning go through, along with their parents or guardians, know no bounds. This year the mental stress has been further heightened by the political programmes marked by excessive violence. Sure enough, parents of elementary classes also have to keep their fingers crossed because they anxiously wait for an opportunity to collect admission form from an educational institution good enough to fulfil the dream of both parents and their children. But this is more or less a picture of the urban schooling system and does not so much concern village students and their parents. But parents and their near adult sons and daughters about to embark on the highway to life's mission are now experiencing the trauma beyond measure.
Just imagine the depth of the frustration and anguish of the shattered dream of a golden GPA (grade point average) 5-holder who wanted to be a doctor or engineer or a business executive but could not pass the admission test at any reputed highest seat of learning! They have been travelling extensively to appear for admission tests at different universities, in some cases for three to four such tests at one university. And yet the most coveted thing remains elusive. The long preparation that has helped them achieve the highest grade points plus the rigorous coaching at different coaching centres along with their hours of study daily and that too after they had given their best in the Higher Secondary examinations has all gone in vain. The pain such students suffer silently is beyond comprehension. Along with them suffer their parents and near and dear ones.
In this context, one question that comes to the fore with renewed urgency is the justification of holding of admission tests at different universities of science and technology. The country's medical colleges have taken a milestone decision by abolishing admission tests for individual medical colleges. Candidates for the medical colleges -both public and private, appear for just one admission test and the successful ones are selected for admission to those colleges on the basis of their scores and rating of those colleges. Such a system can be introduced for admission to all the universities of science and technology. It is on this issue of an integrated admission test for the Sylhet Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and the Jessore University of Science and Technology (JUET) that revered professor and writer Jafar Iqbal and his wife Yasmeen Haque tendered resignation in protest of the suspension of that system of admission test. The couple however withdrew their resignation when the academic council backed out of their decision and opted for the earlier system of integrated admission test.
This surely is a moral victory for not only Jafar Iqbal and like-minded people but also of rationality. There is no point subjecting students to unnecessary travails. Submission of on-line application has certainly made it easier for candidates to complete the process but not all of them are fortunate enough to have such facilities at home or within easy reach. Think of the poor and village students who have to apply for several such universities. Also the application fee is in the range of Tk 700 to Tk 1,000. If one student has to apply for Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Chittagong University of Science and Technology (CUET), Khulna University of Science and Technology (KUET), Rajshahi University of Science and Technology (RUET) and other such engineering universities, the amount of application fees and the travelling costs are likely to be a staggering figure. In addition to this, the anxiety and fear candidates and their parents have to undergo surely do not help the cause. Not all candidates can appear at such admission tests even if they wanted and even if they do, they are not likely to perform according to their potential particularly when they have to rush from one city to another immediately after sitting for one such test and travelling overnight for another test the next day. Then the fear psychosis is there as vehicles are torched and smashed with abandon.
Nowhere in the world does politics become so cruel, vindictive, mindless and indifferent to common people. Young learners cannot be blamed for expressing their no-confidence in the country's political leaderships and losing their faith in and love for the country.
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