As the admission test for the undergraduate program for the academic year 2023-24 is going on for the fifth day at Jahangirnagar University on Thursday, an overflowing crowd of parents and admission seekers was seen on the campus.
The admission seekers were standing in a queue in the centres. Some of the examinees have come to attend the test accompanied by their mother. Some with their father or both parents.
Their parents were not so far from them- someone under the shade of a tree, someone sitting on the green ground of the campus.
The admission seekers enter their designated centre just 10-15 minutes before the exam starts, and the parents- standing outside the centres waiting for their kids. Their anxiety and anticipation for their kids can be seen in their faces. As time passes in the exam hall, the level of anxiety arises in the parents. Some parents stand at the ground for the whole time, some parents discuss the plans they hold for their kids with someone else. Some parents recite the holy quran for the well-being of their kids. Some parents can be seen with the prayer beads in their hands. And some parents go through the pages of newspapers to spend the time being.
The admission test for the faculty of business administration was held at 1:50pm on Thursday. A parent, named Mujibor Rahman Sohel, said to Dhaka Tribune: “I am a bit anxious as my child has sat for the exam. He is attending the admission exams in different universities. I am a bit tense about whether he is giving the correct answers or not.”
Selin Akhter, a homemaker, was standing near the Central Shahid Minar. The anxiety in her face was visible. She said: “We are from Barisal. Even though we started from Dhaka for the exam a long ago, my daughter was five minutes late for the exam. And this is stressing me out.”
Ariful Islam, the father of an examinee, said: “I took leave from the office to accompany my child to the exam hall.”
“I am praying for my child’s well-being and the ability to get admitted to the university,” said Md Sajid, another parent who was eagerly waiting for his child outside the exam hall.
As the final bell rang for the exam, all the parents gathered in front of the exam centres. They hugged their children as soon as they came out of the exam hall and inquired them about the exam. And it was time to start for home.
This year, a total of 197,851 admission seekers will contest for only 1844 seats in Jahangirnagar University, which means 108 students will vie for each seat.
All necessary information including results will be available at the university's admission-related website.