Dhaka University (DU) unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on Wednesday demanded to defer the admission tests of 2024-25 session of the university and reduction in application fee.
In this regard, a delegation led by JCD DU unit President Ganesh Chandra Roy and Nahiduzzaman Shipon handed over a memorandum to the university's Proctor Associate Prof Saifuddin Ahmed, drawing attention of Vice Chancellor, to meet their demands.
The memorandum reads, "Recent news published in several national dailies on October 15 indicated that a preliminary decision was made at the Dean's Committee meeting to hold the admission test for undergraduate programmes in December 2024. The scheduling of the admission test just one and a half months after the publication of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results has created anxiety and concern among prospective students who have recently passed their HSC."
"Students who participated in the 2024 HSC exams were actively involved in the anti-fascism student uprising that took place in July-August. Many of these students were martyred during the movement, while countless others are still suffering from severe injuries and are bedridden in hospitals. The violence and atrocities committed by fascist forces during this uprising have mentally traumatized these newly graduated students," said the memorandum.
It added, "After the uprising, these students took on significant responsibilities, such as managing traffic, which has delayed their return to normal academic life. They fear that if the admission tests are held in December, most of the injured and mentally traumatized students will be deprived of the opportunity to participate. On the other hand, in a competitive exam like the university admission test, students usually have a certain period to prepare. If the admission test is held in December, the time available for preparation for students wishing to enroll in the undergraduate programmes at DU will be significantly reduced, causing them mental distress."
The JCD leaders said "In light of these circumstances, we firmly believe that postponing the admission test deadline will provide prospective students with the necessary time to prepare and allow a significant number of injured students to participate."
The memorandum further said that the previous university administration, which supported the oppressive fascist government and has been detrimental to students' welfare, raised the admission application fee by 200 percent over five years-from the 2018-19 session to the 2023-24 academic year-setting it at Tk 1,050.
