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Linking Young Minds Together
     Volume 2 Issue 3 | January 28, 2007|


  
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Spotlight

DU admission: The battle begins

Amanat Ahmed

From the very first day of opening, the University of Dhaka proved itself as a premiere educational institution of this country. The center of excellence it started from 1st July, 1921 with 60 teachers and 877 students, is now 85 years old. Currently it has 1,300 teachers and 30,000 students, comprises of 10 Faculties, 51 Departments and 9 Institutes.

Clearly the institution has come a long way. Being a pioneer in the undergraduate and post graduate education system of our country, many students' automatic choice of studying happens to be the Dhaka University. However every student's dream of studying here remains immaterialized as the seats are limited. The students have to fight for every percentage point of marks as the competition is fierce and getting fiercer year by year.

From 26th January with the 'Ka' unit test, the admission tests for Dhaka University for the academic year 2006-07 commenced. The tests will take place in four consecutive Fridays finishing on 16th February with the 'Ga' unit test. 'Ka' unit is for the students of Science & Agricultural Science groups, 'Kha' unit is for the Humanities group, 'Ga' unit is for the Business Education group and 'Gha' unit is for the students who want to change their group of study. Only those students who have passed the HSC or any equivalent examination of 2005 and 2006 are eligible to apply for admission to the different Departments and Institutes of the concerned units subject to their fulfilling the required criteria. In the admission tests all the applicants will be evaluated by an MCQ Examination System.

In evaluating the candidates, a certain portion of marks were assigned for the result accomplished in the SSC and HSC or their equivalent examinations. The major portion although has been assigned for the admission test.

Therefore, the marks being gained in the admission test can be said to be the reflection of the candidate's academic performance before entering the university life. That's why performing well in the admission test will not be enough. The past academic result and performance are also decisive. So a good result in those examinations will add huge incentives for the candidate in fulfilling his/her wish.

Nevertheless, a good performance in the admission test is ever so crucial and a pre requisite in getting enrolled into the intended department or area of study. For doing well in the admission test, it is imperative that the hopeful applicants prepare well for the exam. I think most of the students have enrolled in different coaching centres in order to prepare themselves for the tough battle. These coaching centres are quite experienced in this area and provide useful information and suggestions to the students. However, not all coaching centres perform as they should.

Besides, as the negative marking system exists, the participants also need to be really street smart for ensuring good outcome. Nonetheless it should be the candidate who will prepare himself/herself properly for the test. In the end, it is the aspirant who will sit for the examination and enjoy the good outcome or remorse for the negative.

'Ka' unit The Science Frontier
All Departments of the Faculties of Science and Biological Science, the Pharmacy Faculty, the Institute of Nutrition & Food Science, and the Institute of Statistical Research & Training of Dhaka University are in this unit.

The students who have passed HSC in Science group or Agricultural Science group or Alim in Science group under Madrasa Education Board, and have a GPA totaling at least 7.5 (excluding fourth/ additional subject) in their SSC and HSC or equivalent examinations are eligible to apply.

The 'Ka' unit admission test took place on 26th January. At first it was scheduled to be held on 15th December, 2006. Due to the political unrest the authority was compelled to reschedule the examination. A staggering number of 24,370 students against only a little more than 1,300 seats participated in this battle for mettle. The candidates appeared in an examination of 1 hr and 45 minutes. There were 120 Multiple Choice Questions divided in four subjects. There is a point allocated for every correct answer; however 1 point will be deducted for every 5 wrong answers. The merit score of the individuals scoring less than 40% in the admission test will not be calculated. It is expected that the result of the admission test will be published within 7 days of the test. Unlike last year, the choice form will be distributed to the eligible students after publishing the result in a face to face interview. It has been said that the system of distributing the choice form prior to the exam contributed to huge criticism.

'Ga' unit The Battle of Business Minds
All the Departments of the Faculty of Business Studies are in this unit. Currently there are six departments under this Faculty.

The students who have passed HSC or equivalent examinations in Business Education or Diploma in Commerce and Business Management and have a GPA totaling at least 6.5 (excluding fourth/additional subject) in their SSC and HSC or equivalent examinations are eligible to apply for admission. Students from diploma in Commerce or Business Management must have a grade point of at least 3.00 in Accounting at the HSC level. The 'Ga' unit admission test will finally take place on 16th February. At first it was scheduled to be held on 1st December, 2006. The timing was deferred twice before announcing the final timetable. Against 780 seats, an astounding number of about 26,000 candidates are going to sit for the test.

The examination will span for an hour only. There will be 100 questions and 120 marks will be assigned for answering these questions. For every 5 wrong answers marks of a correct answer will be deducted. It means 0.24 marks will be deducted for every wrong answer. The rules and regulations that were effective last year will remain same in this year also. The result is expected to be published within a week of date of the admission test.

The End
The stage of getting admission into a university is a very crucial one in a student's life; one mistake made in this period leads to a debacle in personal life. Therefore, it is vital that the concerned students plan properly for enhancing their future and act accordingly. I wish every candidate all the best and hope to welcome the successful ones in this campus pretty soon.

(Student of Dhaka University)

 

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