The new rules (sub-clause 6 of clause 4 of the HSC admission policy 2006) provide consideration of the students' date of birth during their enrolment in colleges. The senior ones will get priority if the number of admission seekers securing same GPA in SSC examination is higher than the number of seats available in a college.

Out of 61,096 of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees under Chittagong Education Board, 3,725 got GPA-5 this year. Of them, 2,836 were from science group, 818 from business studies and 71 from humanities group.

Around 1,486 GPA-5 achievers from science group could not get admitted in any of three leading government colleges --- Chittagong College, Hazi Md Mohsin College and City College --- as they have capacity to accommodate only 1,350 students.

A total of 1,207 students got A+ in all subjects without the additional subject (considered as golden GPA achiever). Of them, 1,091 are from science group, 52 from business studies and 11 from humanities.

Around 191 golden GPA achievers did not get chance in Chittagong College and Mohsin College due to age-based selection.

Zain Uddin Ziad, a student of Chittagong Collegiate School who achieved A+ in all subjects, gave up all his hopes when he missed the chance to get admitted to his long-cherished Chittagong College.

Zain, who obtained first position in the Junior Scholarship Examination in Chittagong Division in 2003, was so surprised when he did not find his name in the first list of Mohsin College.

He missed the chance as his date of birth is October 28, 1991 while the college authorities selected the students who were born on or before January 11, 1991.

Zain, however, got his name in the second waiting list of the Mohsin College.

Like Zain, Protyush and Mahruf of the same school, and Shakhawat and Syed Aftabuddin of Muslim High School, who also got golden GPA marks, could not enroll them at Chittagong College due to same problem.

Priyanka Dastidar, a student of Dr Khastagir Girls High School, who got GPA-5 and achieved A+ marks in eight subjects, could not get herself admitted to Chittagong College and Mohsin College.

"Many students, who achieved A+ in eight subjects like me, got admitted to Mohsin College but I missed it due to being under age than them, Priyanka said.

Later, Priyanka was admitted to Chittagong Cantonment Public School and College.

Urmi Rahman, the second girl of Silver Bells Girls High School and also an achiever of GPA-5, faced the same problem.

Md Sirajul Islam, principal of Chittagong College, said around 853 students with golden GPA-5 from science group submitted forms in his college.

As per direction of the education ministry, we had to select the students who got A+ in all subjects, then the students with A+ in general mathematics and higher math. But all of them fulfilled these conditions, he said.So, we had to follow the age-based selection, he added.

Mahruf and Protyush said admission test is the best method of selecting students and it has scope to test the merit of the students.

Age cann't be a method to evaluate merits, they said.

Prof Mohammad Shahidullah, principal of Government Commerce College, said age-based system is a better one for fair selection.

He said there is a scope for nepotism or corruption in the system of admission test.

Elders should get priority, Shahidullah said, adding that many students try to provide false information by reducing age in their certificates.

Rafiqul Islam, professor of Zoology of City College and convenor of admission committee (science group), also echoed the same.