In an attempt to stop university seats being wasted each year, students from now on would only get a single chance to contest for a place at the Dhaka University, according to a decision by the authority concerned.
In a meeting of the university’s general admission committee, chaired by DU Vice-Chancellor Dr Arefin Siddique, it was decided yesterday that the long-running opportunity that allowed first year honours admission seekers the chance to appear twice for the intake admission test – would be scrapped from the upcoming 2015-16 academic session.
As a result, only the most recently passed HSC candidates will be able to attend the test from now on.
The deans of all faculties, the chairpersons of all departments and the directors of all institutes under the Dhaka University were present at the meeting.
The move follows the publication of a story by the Dhaka Tribune titled “DU seats wasted by second-time candidates,” which showed that over 400 seats fall vacant every session as students switched departments by appearing in admission tests for the second time.
Commenting on the decision, the DU VC told the Dhaka Tribune: “Allowing a second chance to old students can deprive first-time entry seekers, as the old students get more time than the first-time candidates.
“This decision will stop the coaching business for the admission test. Meanwhile, the university will also have fewer admission seekers, so it can then accommodate all those seeking admission in its own campus.”
Arefin Siddique added: “There will be no more cheating and the university will no longer have to lose seats to this system of giving chances to second-timers.”
According to the DU central admission office, almost half of the students who get admitted to Dhaka University every year are the ones who take the admission test twice.
These second-time candidates are either students who failed at their first attempt at getting into the university, or those who – after their successful first attempt – got admitted to a department that they did not prefer.
In the admission test for the 2013-14 session, 89,800 of the total 192,221 candidates were second-time applicants. In 2012-13 session the number of second-time applicants was 96,756 among a total 235,703 candidates; and in 2011-12 session it was 82,289 among a total 199,046 students.
On the other hand, among the 6,896 students who got admitted for the 2013-14 session, 3,683 had appeared in the admission test for their second attempt. In 2012-13 session, the number was 3,283 among 6,617 students; and in 2011-12 session, it was 3,338 among 6,663 total admitted students.
During the 2013-14 academic session, 421 seats were left vacant by students who changed departments after sitting in their second admission test. For 2012-13 session, the number was 416; and for 2011-12 session, it was 429 seats.
Prof Hasibur Rashid, convener of the DU online admission committee, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The second-time admission test system was introduced many years ago. From 2010, this scenario [students taking advantage of sitting in the exam twice] started to reveal itself after the university authority began carrying out the admission process online. This year the scenario is worse as more than 56% second-timers will get admitted [under this academic session]. ”
Commenting on the move, Serajul Islam Choudhury, professor emeritus of DU, said: “The authority took the right decision, but seats also need to be increased in other public universities to accommodate more students in a year.”
English dept eligibility relaxed
Meanwhile, the university authority also relaxed the condition for eligibility of enrolment into the English department for this year.
Dhaka University Registrar Syed Rezaur Rahman said: “According to the new rule, students have to get minimum eight marks in Elective English which was 15 previously; and 18 in General English instead of 20.
“Even if seats remain vacant in the department, we will take in the required students from Gha unit,” he said.
English department is to enrol 150 students for the current session, with 125 of those students originally supposed to come through the ‘Kha’ unit test. However, even after the revised eligibility requirements, a majority of the students from the department would now have to be selected from the ‘Gha’ unit test.