Only two aspiring students have been able to qualify for enrolment at Dhaka University’s English department for the 2014-15 academic session.
Held on September 19, a total of 40,565 students appeared in the university’s Kha (B) unit entrance examination against 2,221 seats.
According to the results published Tuesday, only 3,874 examinees passed the written tests, marking a 9.55% pass rate for this year.
The English department changed its exam regulations this year with the condition that students wishing to join the department would be required to answer the Elective English section, apart from their chosen four subjects, and score at least 15 marks in Elective English and 20 in General English.
However, the total marks for the Kha unit exam is 120 for four subjects out of five – Bangla, English, Elective English and two sections of general knowledge, each carrying 30 marks.
A candidate has to score at least 48 marks in total and not less than 8 in all subjects individually to pass the test.
As per the results published, only 1,364 candidates took the Elective English section and only 17 of them were able to score 15 in the subject. Of these 17, only two students secured 20 marks in General English.
Asked about the rest of the seats remaining vacant, Dr Sadrul Amin, dean of the arts faculty and former chairperson of English department, told the Dhaka Tribune: “After the results of the Gha [D] unit exams, we will discuss the issue with the VC and exam committee members to reach a solution.”
