How digital tools, cluster system make students' admission simpler

The challenge of securing admission in schools, colleges, and universities is steadily easing with the introduction of digital tools, lottery systems, and cluster arrangements, saving parents and students from the so-called "admission war".

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the admission process for schools involved year-round coaching centre visits, queuing for form collection, admission tests, and lobbying at schools, making life miserable for children and guardians.

However, the introduction of the digital lottery system in 2021 during the pandemic simplified the school admission process and reduced the prevalence of coaching and admission trades.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education will publish the lottery results today for the academic year 2024 for classes I to IX.

The government has also implemented online-based admissions for colleges and is actively working towards establishing a unified testing system for universities, aiming to minimise complications and unethical practices associated with admission tests across all levels.

"Admission trade" mostly gone

Admission through the digital lottery system is now implemented in all government secondary schools and private secondary schools in urban, district, and sadar upazila areas.

Non-government schools outside the central lottery must conduct lotteries through education ministry-approved committees. During the application process, candidates can choose up to five schools based on availability.

Ziaul Kabir Dulu, president of the Parent Unity Forum, said, "Initially, there were complaints about talented individuals missing out due to the lottery, but now students from all backgrounds access good schools."

He highlighted the main advantage of lottery admissions, stating, "The biggest benefit is putting an end to the 'admission trade', which was prevalent in the committees of prestigious schools in Dhaka."

Securing admission in reputable schools is a perpetual concern for parents, involving the stress of obtaining forms, coaching, and exams, said Md Abdullah from Dhaka's Mugda Area.

"Having secured admission through the lottery three years ago, I avoided these challenges," he added.

Authority for university admission tests

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has finalised the draft of an ordinance that will allow students to gain admission to public universities through a single test starting from the next academic year.

The core focus of the draft, titled "Authority for Central Admission Test in Public Universities Undergraduate Level Ordinance, 2023," is the centralisation of university admission tests under a new authority.

Once the ordinance is finalised by the education ministry prior to the commencement of admissions, public universities will not conduct separate admission tests for this year's newly-appearing HSC graduates.

Prof Dr Muhammed Alamgir, UGC member, told The Business Standard that the new ordinance introduces scoring for students in three categories (science, humanities, and business education) through separate tests conducted by the admission test authorities.

"Admissions to universities will be based on these scores, eliminating the need for additional exams," he added.

Currently, the country has 54 public and 113 approved private universities, each managing admissions independently.

While certain public universities conduct separate admission tests, 22 general and science and technology universities make one cluster, three engineering and technology universities (Cuet, Kuet, and Ruet) constitute another, and seven agricultural and agricultural education universities form a separate cluster.

Earlier, students were required to purchase admission forms for each university individually and participate in tests at different institutions. The introduction of cluster systems by some universities has reduced much of the problem for them.

High competition in medical and engineering

Ample seats are available for the academic year 2023–24, with over 13 lakh seats in public and private colleges and universities nationwide, while this year's HSC pass count is 10.67 lakh, leaving around 2.5 lakh seats vacant.

Prestigious institutions, including general public universities, engineering universities, medical and dental colleges, and the top 10 private universities, offer approximately 1.30 lakh seats. With 92,365 students achieving GPA-5, the top scorers can secure enrolment in these institutions.

However, intense competition is expected for medical and engineering admissions, as the number of seats (15,000) is significantly lower than the 56,808 GPA-5 achievers from the science group.

Online-based college admission

For college admissions, the government in 2015 introduced online-based admission with no need for tests.

Students apply for online admission based on their results and are placed in a college on the basis of merit, quota, and preference among the number of colleges applied for by the student.

A student can apply for a minimum of five and a maximum of ten colleges and equivalent institutions.