Unusual session jam has forced thousands of National University (NU) students to sacrifice up to four years. Failure of university authorities in managing the situation has also frustrated students, who are now gravely worried about their future.
\nNU, which offers affiliation to 1,778 colleges, is now burdened with the huge task of looking after 11 lakh students, a task which proves to be a huge, unmanageable task with every day. According to investigation carried out by The Independent, NU authorities seem have failed on several counts \u2013 purchasing papers on time for answer scripts, timely printing and distributing question papers, evaluation of answer-sheets, and publication of results. Besides, some teachers of colleges under the NU said the authorities conduct examinations without ensuring the colleges have completed the syllabus. In many cases, syllabus could not be completed within the stipulated time-frame, due to shortage of teachers and classrooms.
\n\u201cI’m sure the university has no ability to hold any exam in the next two months, as a section of profit-mongering higher-ups is playing game with the decision to purchase papers and making answercripts. Besides, nearly 1,200 teachers, who are involved in exam process, are fighting for their jobs, as the higher court has declared their jobs as illegal,\u201d an official supervising answercripts and question papers said on Friday.
\n\u201cIt was 2003 when I got admission in the four-year bachelors’ degree in management and I had to wait till 2010 to complete my course and I have just completed my masters. I’m sure I’ll have to wait till 2012 for the results,\u201d said Mukta Jahan, a student of Government Eden College under the NU. \u201cDue to failure of the authorities, I needed to loss four years to complete my higher study. In contrast, my cousin who got admission, simultaneously, in Dhaka University, entered into a job three years ago, after completing his courses,\u201d she added.
\n“I got admission in 2009, but I’m still a first-year student. The authorities failed to hold our first-year final exam and give me a chance to graduate to the second year. I’ve already lost more than one year, it’s frustrating,\u201d Laily Begum, a student of the Government Badrunnesa College in Dhaka, said on Thursday. \u201cOne of my teachers told me yesterday that it\u2019s uncertain when my exam will be held. The authorities announced and deferred my exam for the third time on Wednesday,\u201d she rued, adding, \u201cIt was scheduled to start from September 13\u201d.
\nNU pro-vice chancellor and in-charge of monitoring of all exams Prof. Tofail Ahmad Chowdhury said, \u201cpaper supply issues have delayed preparing the answer sheets and it was the reason for deferment of the exams. A fresh schedule will be announced soon after the opening of university on September 11.\u201d
\n\u201cNecessary steps have been taken to print and distribute question papers timely. However, the teachers who are assigned to evaluate answer sheets still take a long time to finish the job and it is also a reason behind delay in publishing results on time,\u201d he claimed. Vice-chancellor Prof. Kazi Shahidullah never talks with the press about any crises in the university.
\nProf. Khan Habibur Rahman, principal of the Government Suhrwardi College in Dhaka, said, \u201cEstablishment of separate examination centres at district headquarters is urgently needed. It\u2019ll help students to attend more classes to complete the syllabus, and examinations could be organised on time.\u201dReplying to a query, principal Mohammad Mazharul Hannan, former academic council member of the NU and also the president of the Bangladesh College Principals\u2019 Council, said, \u201cThe institution is overburdened with its tasks. Instead of improving the situation, university higher-ups are busy with hiring and firing staff, since they got the job in 2009\u201d.
\n\u201cIf there\u2019s a huge purchase of exam equipment, it should be transparent,\u201d he said.
\nMd Nurul Ami, a deputy registrar and also leader of employees\u2019 association of the NU, said that they are engaged in fighting with their jobs, instead of working to hold the exams. \u201cRecently, a higher court has declared recruitment of nearly 1,200 teachers and employees as illegal. Who\u2019ll take the exam if we\u2019re not in the jobs?\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s acute shortage of teachers in the public colleges that offer bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s courses under the NU. Out of 14,500 posts in 271 public colleges and equivalent institutions, nearly 4,000 are still vacant,\u201d said Prof. Fahima Khatun, president of the Bangladesh Civil Service General Education Association.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of The Independent<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unusual session jam has forced thousands of National University (NU) students to sacrifice up to four years. Failure of university authorities in managing the situation has also frustrated students, who are now gravely worried about their future. NU, which offers affiliation to 1,778 colleges, is now burdened with the huge task of looking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[209,845,6383,6384],"yoast_head":"\n