Accra:The Education Minister, Dr. ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, announced the formation of a committee led by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to improve public university admission opportunities for English-medium students who have completed O-Level and A-Level examinations under foreign curricula.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the announcement was made during a seminar titled "Expanding Admission Opportunities at Public Universities for Students Studying Foreign Curricula," organized by the Alliance of Private English Medium Schools at a hotel in the capital.
Dr. Milon highlighted that approximately 120,000 English-medium students sit for O-Level and A-Level exams each year but encounter limited access to public universities due to the current admission test system and issues with equivalence certificates. He described this as a "system loss" for the education sector and noted that other countries, such as India and Pakistan, have policies that recognize these qualifications as equivalent to the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC).
The government, under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, intends to formulate a policy based on the committee's recommendations to ensure equal admission opportunities for English-medium students. Dr. Milon also stressed the need to enhance the teaching of Bangladesh's history, Bangla language, and culture in English-medium schools.
The seminar was attended by the Prime Minister's Special Assistant to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Gias Uddin Rimon, and UGC Member Prof Dr. Abdullah-Al-Mamun, who participated as special guests. Alliance President Md Morshedul Islam chaired the event, which also included several public university vice-chancellors, British Council representatives, and educationists.