Many public universities are in favour of holding semester exams for final year students to negate session jam and make students qualified for sitting in the upcoming BCS exams.
Students, mostly of honours final year exams, are holding demonstrations demanding exams and some of them are contacting with authorities with the same demand.
Universities are waiting for the decision of the University Grants Commission (UGC) as it, in June, asked universities to hold online classes and exams and practical classes will take place after normalcy returns.
Against this backdrop, the University Grants Commission is scheduled to hold a discussion in a meeting today about the exams.
"We have monthly meeting on Sunday, and one of the agenda will be exams of public universities," UGC Member Prof Muhammed Alamgir told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said that many public universities had sent letter or contacted UGC about decision on exams specially those for honours final year and master's level.
"In some places, students are protesting on the demand of exams, so we will discuss the matter and hopeful that we will be able to know all a decision soon," he said.
Alamgir said that they came to know that students of several universities are holding protest on the demand of exams.
Public universities are now holding online classes as they cannot hold in person classes since March 17, when the government closed all educational institutions due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
The closure was extended till December 19.
An UGC member said vice-chancellors of several universities, while talking at the meeting between them and UGC on December 1, raised the issue of holding semester final exams.
VCs said that many students were middle of the honours final year and postgraduate level, some of them have completed theoretical exams and need to just appear in practical exams.
"VCs said that it is high time to allow public universities to hold the final exams of last semester of honours so that they can take part in the upcoming BCS exam with appeared certificate," the member said.
They also argued that private universities are taking semester final exams, so public universities should take the final exams following the Covid 19 health guideline strictly, the member added.
The Bangladesh Civil Service is a highly competitive examination in Bangladesh conducted by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) for recruitment to the various Bangladesh Civil Service cadres.
During the last week of November PSC published the circular of holding the 43rd BCS examination, with aiming to recruit 1,814 for different cadres.
The application process for the 43rd BCS will open from on December 31 and complete on January 30.
Honours final semester students of Jahangirnagar University on December 2 held a sit-in programme on the campus, demanding the completion of their honours examinations.
History department student Nuruzzaman Shuvo said they cannot appear for 41st BCS exams due to session jam and they cannot apply for 43rd BCS exams as their exams remain incomplete.
Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University VC Prof AHM Mustafizur Rahman, who favoured the taking of honours final year exam at the meeting, said that they are under pressure from students. "They want to sit for exam so that they can give BCS exam"
"They have sent me application, some of them meet me and fall into tears, we need to hold exams," he said.
Barisal University VC Prof Sadekul Islam said that after a meeting between UGC and VCs of all universities it was decided that universities will hold online classes and there would be no exams and lab classes.
"So we did not take exams. Students are not passing the exams on time. We are looking for alternative. We are thinking that we will take viva exams following online method", said Sadekul, adding that some of his students also have submitted applications for holding the exams.
© Daily Star
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