Kaushik Kumar Shimanto, a student from remote coastal area of Barguna, has lost his chance to get admitted to the University of Chittagong (CU). His long-awaited dream of university life was shattered when he missed the admission deadline due to network issues in his area. His appeals to the authorities failed. The rejection left him mentally and financially devastated.
Shimanto ranked 3,535th in the CU 2024-25 ‘B’ unit admission test and secured the 12th position in the Sanskrit department. His roll number was 241844. As per the university’s notice, he was supposed to complete his admission by 11:00 AM on June 26. Unfortunately, he reached the department at 2:00 PM—three hours late.
“I couldn’t see the admission notice in time because of network problems in my area,” Shimanto said in a broken voice. “When I finally saw the notice at midnight on June 25, I rushed to Dhaka by ambulance. My father, already burdened with debts, somehow managed to buy a plane ticket for me.”
Shimanto flew from Dhaka to Chattogram on a 12:30 PM flight on June 26. However, by the time he reached the campus, the clock had already struck past the admission deadline.
“One of my seniors took my documents to the dean’s office on my behalf,” he said. “But they told him the student himself must be present by 11:00 AM.”
Later, his father contacted the Vice-Chancellor seeking help. When Shimanto finally arrived at the department around 2:00 PM, he was asked to wait. After hours of uncertainty, he was informed that his admission could not be accepted.
“I come from a poor family in a disaster-prone coastal region,” Shimanto said. “We fight against natural disasters every year. This admission was my family’s only hope. Now I don’t know what to do.”
His case was presented to the university’s central admission committee on July 16. But the committee decided not to make any exceptions. “There’s no scope to break the rules,” said SM Akbar Hossain, Deputy Registrar (Academic).
Professor Dr. Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic), said that, “Even a delay of three minutes is not allowed. So, no exception can be made for anyone.”
As his future now hangs in uncertainty, Shimanto has appealed for sympathy and requested the authorities to reconsider his case on humanitarian grounds.
RA/NSA
