A decision will be taken to implement a cluster-based admission system for public universities in the country after discussions with all relevant stakeholders involved in the admission process.
The matter was fixed Wednesday, following a meeting with the vice-chancellors of the cluster-affiliated universities at the Ministry of Education, according to a press release Ministry of Education.
Admission to higher education has long been a source of concern for students and their parents.
In the past, this concern was coupled with significant hardships.
Most students had to travel across the country to sit for admission tests at universities located in distant areas, which caused both financial strain and inconvenience.
To reduce the hardship and financial waste, a cluster-based admission system is now being implemented for public universities.
Under this system, 24 general universities and one Science and Technology (GST) cluster are conducting the admission tests for the first-year undergraduate programs.
Additionally, agricultural universities form one cluster, while Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet), Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), and Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet) make up another cluster for the admission tests. Through this system, a student can sit for a single admission test and, based on their qualifications and preferences, be admitted to one of the universities in the respective cluster.
Currently, there are 55 public universities and 114 approved private universities across the country.
The National University offers undergraduate (honors) programs at 881 colleges.
Moreover, Islamic Arabic University oversees madrasas, while the Open University and seven major government colleges affiliated with Dhaka University provide higher education.
There has been ongoing discussion about the future of the cluster-based admission system in public universities for the upcoming academic year, especially after the fall of the Awami League government following the student uprising.
In this context, a meeting was held at the Secretariat, chaired by Special Assistant Professor M Aminul Islam, to discuss the cluster-based admission system for the first-year programs of all universities.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Education, during the meeting, the opinions of the university vice-chancellors were gathered regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the cluster-based admission process.
The meeting concluded with the decision to adopt a universally accepted system after discussions with all stakeholders involved in the university admission process.