It is quite unacceptable that the website for the nation’s most historic and well-regarded university, the University of Dhaka, is unable to provide the most basic service of allowing prospective students to access the online application process for undergraduate courses.
This is especially egregious considering the pro-active commitment to Digital Bangladesh made by the current government, that too in a world that has been forced to adapt more and more digital methods of communication for the last year.
The complaints, glitches, and inconsistencies shown by the website were varied, from it being down for several hours to students being unable to upload their personal information in order to register, essentially leaving the future of our nation frustrated and waiting, unable to even ensure that they can apply.
Because of incompetence, a 10-minute process has become an insurmountable mountain -- a common problem with many of the most basic services that some of our public institutions are designated to provide.
The collective quality of these services provided by our public institutions is what, at the end of the day, determines the public’s perception of the effectiveness and efficiency of the government overall.
Unfortunately, despite an explicit commitment to Digital Bangladesh from the government, many of our public institutions fail to provide basic services over the internet, from paying taxes to simply applying for a replacement NID, and it is the citizens who are left to figure out for themselves what next steps to take after frustrating inquiries, most of which require them to needlessly put themselves in harm’s way and face further bureaucratic red tape at government offices.
The government should be commended for the efficient manner in which the vaccination process has been carried out via the Surokkha website, and it is about time that other public institutions provided at least the same level of services to citizens.
Such incompetence is unacceptable, especially from a renowned institute like DU, and must be fixed immediately.
