Masum Billah :
Several university authorities started conducting cluster admission test since 2019. In 2020-2021 session twenty public universities both general and technical got involved in cluster admission test method and this year 2021-2022 two new technological universities have joined making the clustered figure 22 that still talks that less than half of public universities have stood under the umbrella of ‘ cluster admission test’. On 30 July the admission test of 22 public universities took place in 57 sub-centres under 19 centers across the country and the duration of the test was from 12 to 1pm.
Cluster admission test promises to remove the anxiety of the admission seekers who have to move around the country facing lots of problems and hassles but it does not need to see any sea change. In the test, questions on Bengali, English, Chemistry, and Mathematics happen as usual. Students have to sit for one test for getting enrolled in similar kind of institutions that talks less anxiety and more benefit of the admission seekers. However, some initial problems get detected in case of starting anything new and the ‘cluster test’ must have some initial problems. That does not mean, we need to stop it or we will always remain detached from it. Last year some universities found problems to get students and so, from waiting list students were enrolled several times. Students did not have the option to choose admission test centres that has been addressed this year by giving them opportunity to sit for exam in one centre. This has been done taking learning from the previous year. This year taking questions to various centres and collecting them back to a particular place sounds difficult. In future another way or device will be developed to mitigate it. The authorities now have to ensure that selected students can get admission visiting one or maximum two universities in their chosen department.
It sounds pragmatic that agricultural universities are going to take separate cluster admission test and similar thing is going to happen to engineering and technological universities except BUET. This says that we can hope to see cluster admission test assumes a full institutional shape in next two or three years. We need to continue it as we have around fifty public universities. If we had only 8-10 universities, we might not have decided to take cluster admission test. As we have more around 50 public universities that really call for cluster admission test. It is not viable and economically friendly to conduct so many examinations and the new universities cannot not manage it properly as they don’t have required number of staff and teachers.
We have seen that Chandpur Science and Technological University has not yet recruited any teacher. It has joined the `cluster admission test’ group to enroll students. Rangamati Science and Technological University started its function in 2015 even though its act was passed in 2002. It rented a non-government school premise to run its activities that in no way gives the test of a university to the students. In January 2022 the university has moved to its new campus but by this time, several batches of graduates have already passed out. The new campus does not have any residential halls for the pupils though it’s a prime factor of a university. Can this type of university manage separate admission test of its own? How far it is viable? ‘Conducting `cluster admission test’ is its answer.
Several problems have emerged from the ‘cluster admission test’ of 22 public universities that took place on 30 July. It was declared by the ministry and all concerned that the admission would be on the basis of ‘short syllabus’ on which the HSC examination was taken. However, students have identified that it was not followed in the admission test questions as questions were set from all parts of the book that made many students baffled.
We are afraid whether the question setters were well aware of the matter of ‘short syllabuses’. We do hope the coming admission tests on 13 and 20 August respectively will see the question papers accommodating the syllabus as was declared in the HSC examination. The admission committee has responded that the students must put forward their claims in written giving examples of questions set outside the declared short syllabus. We eagerly wait to see smarter cluster admission test on 13 and 20 August 2022 taking lessons from ‘Ka’ unit’s anomalies. I like to conclude here putting my full support for promoting ‘cluster admission test’ for the students seeking enrolment in higher educational institutions.
(The writer is Country Director, Volunteers Association for Bangladesh and President, English Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh).