Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has said that the government hopes universities across the country will hold admission tests under a uniform procedure from now on.
Once all universities implement the new procedure, hassles for students will come down to a great extent, she told reporters after announcing the HSC results at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka on Wednesday.
“Each university used to take admission tests separately earlier. Many of them now hold the examinations under a uniform procedure,” she said.
"We discussed the matter with the vice-chancellors recently. We requested that they take this year's admission tests based on the revised syllabus of the HSC examination," she added.
"We are hoping that all universities will implement this," she said.
The minister came up with the statement after President Abdul Hamid, on January 12, gave his consent to one arranged national admission test, replacing the current system to enroll new students in both public and private universities.
When asked what the national admission test would look like, multiple UGC members had told Dhaka Tribune that the new procedure is likely to be similar to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or medical admission test.
The minister said, in other countries, only one university entrance exam is held, on a unified syllabus containing questions related to mathematics, science and general knowledge. After this, a list gets prepared based on the scores earned by the students.
"The authorities want a unified admission test but before switching to the new system one must learn how to better manage the procedure, she added.
She also pointed out that implementation of the cluster system took a long time because of lengthy consultations with stakeholders, teachers' associations, and public universities. But she hopes the new system will not take that long to implement.
Prof Sazzad Hossain, vice-chancellor (Additional-Charge) of Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET), speaking to Dhaka Tribune on the matter, said: "A central admission system can be introduced by a committee by reviewing the existing systems in foreign countries."
Mentioning the central entrance exam system in India, he said a question paper may include separate sections so that it is easier to check the merit of students from different backgrounds (science, commerce, arts) during enrollment.
When contacted, Dhaka University Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) ASM Maksud Kamal told Dhaka Tribune that the academic council of the university will take a decision on the matter.
UGC Member Prof Dr Muhammed Alamgir said: "The government has to review the reasons behind introducing a new system and costs that come along before making a decision so that the new system is logical and student friendly."
