College teachers are under huge pressure as influential people are lobbying to secure places for their children or relatives’ children in the higher secondary class, even though they do not qualify for the seats.
Teachers said the pressure is more in the reputable and government colleges.
In some cases, local politicians and student leaders are demanding certain quotas to admit students according to their choice.
“We are in an awkward situation. If we give in to the student leaders and politicians, some deserving students will not be able to get admission,” said a Dhaka College teacher.
The HSC admission process began on May 28. Classes are scheduled to start on July 1. Admission based on the merit list has already been completed in most colleges, and now admission is going on based on the wait list.
Many students and teachers said there are many irregularities in the admission of the students on the wait list.
In Dhaka College, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s unit in the college vandalised campus properties on Thursday because the authorities did not admit students of their choice.
Moniruzzaman, inspector at New Market police station, confirmed the incident.
Chhatra League activists in Rajshahi Government City College also vandalised the campus, alleging irregularities had been committed in the admission process.
However, Kabirul Islam, principal of the college, told the reporters that the Chhatra League activists vandalised the campus to create panic among students so that they could get the students of their choice admitted.
There were also reports of clashes in Rajshahi College on Monday and in Rajshahi New Government Degree College on Wednesday centring the admission process.
There are allegations that student leaders take money from students in exchange of the assurance that they would get those students admitted despite their not being qualified.
A teacher of a reputed college in the capital’s Baily Road area told the Dhaka Tribune that they were also receiving requests from local politicians to admit their children or their relatives’ children even though they do not have the required qualifications.
Another teacher of a reputed college in Motijheel area said his college was also under pressure to admit the children of local politicians.
When contacted, Taslima Begum, chairperson of the Dhaka education board, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had not received any complaints in this regard.
However, she said the board had instructed all colleges that students must be admitted according to the merit list, and nothing else.
