Why merit-based college admission not illegal: HC

The High Court has issued a rule upon the government to explain within four weeks why it would not declare eight sections of the circular by education ministry on merit-based admission in colleges in academic session 2015-16 illegal. An HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam issued the rule on Monday. Education secretary was made the respondent of the rule. Lawyer Dr Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ petition on June 10. He said admission in a college must be based on tests, not the results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. “The circular of government will collide with some sections of the Constitution,” he added. Eight sections of the circular issued by the ministry of education on HSC admission in 2015 are 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 5.3, 9.1 and 9.3. Besides, he said, as per chapter 23 of the National Education Policy-2010, admission test is a must to admit students in all classes except class-I. On June 1, the ministry published a circular to admit students in colleges across the country on the basis of SSC results. The principals of Holy Cross College, Notre Dame College and St Joseph Higher Secondary School filed a writ petition challenging six sections – 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.3, 9.1 and 9.3 – of the circular. On June 8, Justice Naima Haider and Justice M Iqbal Kabir, after the hearing, stayed the circular of education ministry and allowed the aforementioned three colleges to take admission tests overruling the government order, according to a news agency.