Uniform Admission Test: 4 engineering univs to hold one exam

Four public engineering universities have decided in principle to form a cluster and hold a uniform admission test.

But opinion seems to be divided on when and where the exam would be held.

Top officials of universities at a virtual meeting with the University Grants Commission (UGC) yesterday said the academic councils at their respective universities had agreed to join the uniform admission test titled "Central Admission Test".

Representatives of the UGC, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, attended the meeting.

After the meeting, a vice chancellor told The Daily Star that Buet authorities proposed that their representative would always be chairman of the admission committee and the exams be held at Buet only.

But officials from the three other universities said that representatives of the four universities should take turns to be the chairman and that exams should be held at each of the universities.

The UGC released a statement after the meeting saying, "There is a difference of opinion on formation of the admission test committee and exam centre."

Contacted, UGC Member Muhammed Alamgir, who moderated the meeting, said, "We have asked the three universities to clearly state their opinion to the UGC, so that concrete decisions can be made regarding the formation of a cluster."

Buet officials wrote to the UGC in November stating their interest in joining a cluster of engineering universities to hold the admission test.

Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Jahangirnagar University and Chattogram University decided to opt out of the cluster.

On December 19, VCs of 19 public universities decided that there will be three exams under the new system -- one each for science, humanities and business studies students -- based on the curriculum of grade-XI and -XII.

The new method of university admission has been in discussion since 2010. It is aimed at relieving admission seekers of the hassles of travelling to different universities in various parts of the country just to be able to sit for the tests every admission season.

On January 23 this year, the UGC announced that universities would hold a uniform admission test in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Alamgir said seven agricultural universities will form a separate cluster to hold the uniform admission test.