The Dhaka University authorities yesterday held the “Cha” unit admission test for enrolling students in the first-year honours courses for the 2015-16 education year.
This comes in the middle of an ongoing movement of public university teachers who are demanding a separate pay scale.
However, the teachers have kept the movement on hold for this month – October – and are doing their duties for the entrance tests and also taking regular classes and departmental exams.
Until last month, they observed several rounds of work abstentions protesting what they say is discrimination between government employees and public university teachers in the eighth pay scale, which is now awaiting implementation.
Yesterday’s test was the second of the five-part admission test at DU. Out of the remaining three, two will be held this month and one in November.
But the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA), who are leading the teachers’ movement, has yet to announced anything for November.
When contacted, Prof Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, executive member of the DU Teachers’ Association, also an active member of the FBUTA, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We have yet to make any decisions regarding our movement in November. We will sit towards the end of this month and decide our next course of action by reviewing how the government responds to our demands.”
Asked what will happen to the DU entrance test scheduled for November, Prof Shafiul said: “We will not make any decision that will harm the academic life of students.”
A total of 7,319 students took part in the test against 135 seats. The examinees have been asked to visit DU website http://admission.eis.du.ac.bd for further information.
