Uniform admission test for public varsities from next year: Minister

Staff Reporter :
The government is going to form a National Testing Authority (NTA) to hold uniform admission test in all universities of the country from the academic calendar 2023-2024.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni unveiled the decision during a policy making meeting in the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday, The Commission said this in a press release.
The NTA will be headed by the UGC Chairman to hold the admission test of all the universities under a common umbrella, the Education Minister said.
About how the Authority will function, she said that the Deans of each university and the examination committee will sort out the methodology of the test to hold uniform admission test.
She further said that a schedule for holding such exam will be announced
 after the Higher Secondary Certificate examination and the classes in the tertiary level education will begin at the same time.
Regarding the standard of such admission test, Dr Dipu Moni said, “The Secondary School Certificate and the Higher Secondary Certificate exams are being held simultaneously. No questions are raised relating to quality of the results of these examinations. I hope there will be no questions as well about the standard of university admission test”.
She further said that the admission test will be inclusive so that the autonomy of the universities is not hampered and at the same time such initiative will reduce the sufferings and hassles of the admission seekers along with their guardians.
Presiding the meeting, UGC Chairman Professor Dr Kazi Shahidullah said, “If the admission tests are held simultaneously, it will be possible to commence the teaching within a short time. Even uniform test will get acceptability if it is held successfully”.
The meeting also suggested for making a framework, a national level policy, and a scoring system for holding such admission test.
Among others, UGC Members Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum, Prof Dr Md Sazzad Hossain, Prof Dr Muhammed Alamgir, Prof Dr Biswajit Chanda and Prof Dr Md Abu Taher, as well as Additional Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division Md Abu Yusuf Mia and UGC Secretary Dr Ferdous Zaman, were present.