Editorial
NU: Toying with Students?
THE National University seems set to create a record in consistently failing to discharge its responsibilities. As if the dismal handling of admit card distribution for the degree (pass) examinations were not a poignant enough testimony to its inadequacy, it now has made a real mess of the honours (part-3) examinations schedule. In the face of examinees' demand for a deferment, the academic council came up with a two-tier and, needless to say, doubly-confusing solution. Without disturbing the original schedule for a January 24 start, the council outlined an alternative routine for those unwilling to go by the former to take the exams on July 24. There was apparently no mention of any session dislocation. Naturally, many students went for the July 24 roster. But, now, according to a report carried by a Bangla daily, the ones going for the July 24 schedule will be bracketed in the next session and thereby will lose one academic year. The council's caprice has certainly cast a dark cloud over the future of a few thousand students. Obviously, the examinees are not too happy with the arrangement and students of four colleges in Chittagong have already hinted an at intense agitation programme to force the authorities to come up with a uniform exam date in late-March without prolonging the session.
Basically, therefore, once again we are faced with the disquieting prospect of strikes at different educational institutions across the country. Our question to the national university is: why toy with the future of so many students? Why take such decisions as leave the students in uncertainty? The university itself was created to ease the pressure on the leading universities in matters of supervising degree (pass) and honours programmes of different colleges under their wings. The idea was to get all the colleges under one umbrella, regulating and facilitating thereby their academic activities. Unfortunately, that has not happened. The education ministry needs to put the NU on an even keel to justify its existence. Immediately, however, the confusion over examination schedule needs to be dispelled before students' agitation leads to more trouble.
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