DU releases test results, snubs protest

The Dhaka University authorities yesterday published the results of "Gha" unit admission test within the shortest period of time amid protest and outcry over question leak allegations.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman officially announced the result at 1:30pm, two days after holding the test. The university took at least three days to publish the results of other four units' tests held so far.

The result of "Ka" unit admission test held on October 13 was published five days later, while the result of "Kha" unit took three days. The result of "Ga" unit test also took similar time. But the number of candidates vying for "Kha" and "Ga" units is smaller than that of "Gha" unit.

Many admission seekers boycotted the result and demanded a fresh admission test. A demonstration was staged on the campus voicing similar demands.

The questions of the English part of the admission test were allegedly leaked out eight hours before the test held at 10:00am on Friday. A number of candidates alleged that a few admission seekers received the questions in emails.

A written copy of the answers to those questions was also sent to the mobile phones of some admission seekers around 9:30am, said the complainants.

Several newspapers including The Daily Star and television channels published the news of question leak with evidence. However, the DU authorities kept denying the allegations without taking any steps to investigate the matter, causing disappointment among the admission seekers, former and present students and cross-section of people.

Instead, the authorities formed a probe body to "find out those who are spreading rumours of question leak in different social platforms".

"I have talked with the IT experts of counter terrorism unit about the time mentioned in some news. They said it could be manipulated somehow," said Prof Akhtaruzzaman yesterday.

Asked about the publication of results in such shortest period of time without verifying the allegations, he said the allegations were baseless.

"We had earlier published results in such short time," the VC told reporters after announcing the results.

Pass rate in this unit is 14.35 percent. The rates were 13.46 percent in science group, 22.07 percent in humanities and 12.77 percent in business group.

As many as 98,054 candidates applied for 1,610 seats for three groups, but 71,549 of them sat for the test. Of them, only 10,264 students have secured pass marks.

DEMONSTRATIONS

Pragatisheel Chhatra Jote, an alliance of left-leaning student organisations, yesterday demonstrated in front of the VC office demanding cancellation of the test.

As many as 150 activists walked in a procession from Madhu's Canteen to the VC office. They started taking position inside the VC office by breaking locks of two collapsible gates.

"The authorities published the result to cover up the incident and hide the perpetrators without forming a neutral investigation committee," said Eva Majumder, president of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front of DU unit.

Meritorious students are being defeated by money due to corrupt administration, she said.

On Thursday night, Criminal Investigation Department arrested two Chhatra League leaders and an admission seeker in connection with question leak. A mobile court also sentenced 12 admission seekers to one-month imprisonment each for using electronic devices during the one-hour test that began at 10:00am.

A Dhaka court on Saturday placed two Bangladesh Chhatra League men and an admission seeker, arrested on suspicion of leaking the question papers, on four-day remand.

A total of 32 people including three DU students and two BCL leaders have so far been detained during this year's DU admission tests. Twenty-seven of them were admission seekers.

In the last 10 years, questions of admission tests of different public universities were allegedly leaked from the examination centres. In many cases, the questions were leaked at least half an hour before the test.

In most of those cases, probe bodies were formed, but none was found guilty. In a few other cases, the committee found the allegations to be true and cancelled the test.

But the syndicate remained out of reach.

TEACHER MISBEHAVES WITH JOURNO

Assistant Proctor Sohel Rana behaved roughly with the DU correspondent of an English daily newspaper.

Mir Arshadul Haque, DU correspondent of The Daily Independent, alleged that the teacher tried to capture his photo through his smart phone without his consent.

“When asked why he was capturing my photo, he rather got angry and asked me to show my identity card provided by my office. He even tried to take away my university ID along with my press card.”

Newly appointed DU Proctor Prof Golam Rabbani arrived on the spot and confined him in the VC office. After 20 minutes, he was freed with assistance from other media correspondents, Arshadul added.

Latter, the VC stepped in.

He said the incident was really unfortunate and that he would look into the matter.