HC issues rule on legality of HSC admission policy

The High Court (HC) yesterday asked the government to explain why ‘Admission Policy-2017’ for the higher secondary level, which allows institutions to admit students on the basis of grade point average (GPA), should not be declared illegal. In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Choudhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque asked the education secretary and the Dhaka Board chairman to reply within four weeks.
The HC bench also allowed Viqarunnisa Noon School and College authorities to admit students to Class XI as per their own admission rules. With this new directive, the HC has so far ordered four colleges to keep their admission processes outside this policy. Earlier, on May 10, the HC had permitted the Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College and Saint Joseph College in Dhaka to admit students at the higher secondary level through admission tests.
On May 7, the education ministry issued a notification that all colleges must admit students at the HSC level on the basis of their merit in SSC exams. On May 10, Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed a petition at the HC, challenging the legality of the Admission Policy-2017, claiming it was contradictory to Articles 7, 19, 26, 27, 28, 31 and 40 of the Constitution. In the petition, Akond said that the Secondary and Higher Secretary Ordinance 1961, which governs the education system, contains no rule empowering the education board to determine the serial of the admission seekers on the basis of GPA. Akond also said that the education board’s duty is to hold examination for the students and not formulate any admission policy. Therefore, the Class XI admission policy contravenes the ordinance, he argued. About 80.35 per cent of students passed the SSC and equivalent tests this year. Admissions to Class XI began on May 9 and will continue till May 26.

HC issues rule on legality of HSC admission policy

The High Court (HC) yesterday asked the government to explain why Admission Policy-2017 for the higher secondary level, which allows institutions to admit students on the basis of grade point average (GPA), should not be declared illegal. In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Choudhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque asked the education secretary and the Dhaka Board chairman to reply within four weeks. The HC bench also allowed Viqarunnisa Noon School and College authorities to admit students to Class XI as per their own admission rules. With this new directive, the HC has so far ordered four colleges to keep their admission processes outside this policy. Earlier, on May 10, the HC had permitted the Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College and Saint Joseph College in Dhaka to admit students at the higher secondary level through admission tests. On May 7, the education ministry issued a notification that all colleges must admit students at the HSC level on the basis of their merit in SSC exams. On May 10, Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed a petition at the HC, challenging the legality of the Admission Policy-2017, claiming it was contradictory to Articles 7, 19, 26, 27, 28, 31 and 40 of the Constitution. In the petition, Akond said that the Secondary and Higher Secretary Ordinance 1961, which governs the education system, contains no rule empowering the education board to determine the serial of the admission seekers on the basis of GPA. Akond also said that the education boards duty is to hold examination for the students and not formulate any admission policy. Therefore, the Class XI admission policy contravenes the ordinance, he argued. About 80.35 per cent of students passed the SSC and equivalent tests this year. Admissions to Class XI began on May 9 and will continue till May 26.