The cluster university admission test of Unit-A for the academic year of 2023-24 in the countrys General and Science and Technology (GST) universities started on Saturday.
The exam began at 12pm and ended at 1pm.
Meanwhile, the ongoing heatwave has brought significant hardship to both students and their guardians. To further aggravate the heat, traffic congestion has exacerbated their troubles.
Meanwhile, one student who went to Jagannath University (JnU) fell ill due to scorching heat during the admission test.
Notably, the admission exams for the B Unit (Humanities) will be held on May 3 (Friday) and for the C Unit (Commerce) will be held on May 10 (Friday).
According to the GST Admission Test Committee, the exam was conducted simultaneously at 22 centers. A total of 170,599 candidates appeared at the tests for this unit. The attendance rate at the 22 centres was 90 percent.
After the exams, convener of the admission test committee Prof Anwar Hossain stated that 90 percent of the candidates were present in the exam for Unit-A. There were no reports of unpleasant incidents.
Additionally, the architecture practical (drawing) exam was conducted smoothly at 3 PM in the afternoon.
The examinations at the affiliated centers and sub-centers of Jagannath University were conducted smoothly. The attendance rate at JNU was 83 percent.
At the centre of Jagannath University, there were arrangements for fresh water, medical teams, and chair facilities for the examinees and their guardians. Two medical teams provided services continuously.
Anik Ahmed, a student who came from Magura to take the exam, expressed happiness about this initiative, saying, "Its a very nice initiative to have water arrangements made by the university. Its great for everyone in this intense heat."
A guardian of an examinee who came from Gazipur stated, "Its not possible to find a place to sit on many campuses. The arrangement of water and chairs in the heat is a very good initiative."
Various social, political, and local student organisations were present to help the candidates outside Jagannath University Center. They made booths to keep bags, mobile phones, books, and other things the students brought with them, especially those who came from a long way.
Additionally, the district-based organisations provided free lemonade, biscuits, and water. Alongside, there was the Joy Bangla Bike Service provided by the Bangladesh Student League. Water and food were also distributed by the Chhatra Dal.
Even though the exams were scheduled for 12 PM, many candidates arrived at the Jagannath University centre after the specified time.
The administration has provided them with the opportunity to enter the center. They informed me that due to the heavy traffic on the road, they were delayed in reaching the centre at the specified time.
On this matter, Vice-Chancellor of JNU, Dr. Sadeka Halim, said, "According to the decision of our admission committee, these candidates have been given permission to enter the centre."
The candidates have expressed dissatisfaction with the printing quality of the exam papers. They complained that the font size is very small, with little spacing between lines, and the characters are too tiny.
Furthermore, they objected to the inconsistency in the alignment of options in some questions.
A student, Hridoy Debnath mentioned the lack of space between the lines of the questions, and some questions had mixed-up serials.
Another student, Md. Fahad Morshed, complained that the sequence of the pages in the printed question paper was incorrect. They also mentioned poor paper quality.
Due to the exams of 53 thousand examinees at Jagannath University and five other centres, there was increased traffic pressure on the roads. There was intense traffic on the Paltan-Gulistan route. Examinees came from far away from the centre, facing difficulties.
Expressing frustration, an examinee said, "It took three hours to reach Uttara. It took two hours just to get past Gulistan. There were a lot of traffic jams. Rickshaws were not even moving. On exam days, traffic police need to be more vigilant."
Vice-Chancellor of JNU, Prof Dr. Sadeka Halim, said, "The cluster admission tests have been conducted for the convenience of the students. All teachers, along with the administration, have worked for the convenience of the examinees. The exams have been concluded admission."
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