IU teachers dissatisfied with unified admission tests

The teachers of Islamic University in Kushtia are dissatisfied with the decision of the University Grants Commission regarding the holding of unified admission tests.

They have expressed concern that the autonomy of the university will be disrupted if the university authorities join in the cluster system.

The teachers have expressed dissatisfaction over ignoring their opinion as to the university's vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam agreed with the decision of UGC on December 1.

IU VC took the opinion of the chairpersons of 34 departments in an IU central admission tests committee meeting held on the campus in Kushtia on November 9.

The chairpersons of 33 departments gave their statements not to join in the unified admission tests under its 2020-21 academic sessions and it was decided to take the admission tests according to its previous system.

But the VC ignored the teachers' decision and agreed to join in the unified intake tests taken by UGC.

Participating in the integrated admission test will disrupt the autonomy of the university because the decision taken by the teachers in the meeting of IU central admission test committee is final.  But participating in the integrated admission test will reduce the decision-making power of the university in various fields, the teachers of the university claimed.

The unified admission tests system will establish the empowerment of the higher authority on the university which is contrary to the autonomy.  Besides, Islamic University has different departments under different faculties, like Al-Quran, Al-Hadith and Islamic Studies, Dawah and Islamic Studies, than any other universities in the country. The admission test systems of these departments are different from the other faculties.

Participating in the admission test in an integrated manner will create various complications in taking the entry tests of the departments and preparing question papers, IUTA General Secretary Professor M Mostafizur Rahman said.

IU Economics department chairman Debashish Sharma said that VC's consent to the integrated admission test should have been more thought-provoking.  The method of integrated admission test is not yet clear.  It is not appropriate to participate in such a vague system, he added.

IU vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam said, ‘We are also interested in taking the admission test separately as before but we had a decision that if the government or the UGC decides to go for an integrated approach considering the corona situation, then we will go for that approach.’

They would discuss unified admission tests at its academic council meeting on December 22, he added.