Public university admission

NEARLY 50,000 young men and women are admitted to the country's public universities every year. This year however, the whole process has gone into tailspin with the seemingly endless political strife that has gripped the country. With hartals and blockades occupying most days of the month, neither university authorities nor students are completely sure when and how entrance exams will be held. And it isn't only the confusion revolving around examination dates; with prospective students unable to get to and from institutions to complete the whole process, many thousands will be left out of the admission procedure.
University authorities find themselves in a fix when coming up with fresh dates to avoid the political clampdown. Yet, with a fresh political agitation programme being called as soon as one has finished, the exercise has become futile. With examination dates facing constant delay, the academic calendar cannot be maintained. As most aspiring university students are hoping to attend multiple examinations in different institutions, the situation is even more impossible for them. Written tests are mostly followed by different dates for oral examinations – and this year it would seem, most students will be unable to attend both. Not knowing for certain whether the test will actually be held does little to help the hapless who are already counting the costs associated with lost months of academic study. We would urge the political parties to give some space for these examinations to be held, for the sake of hopeful entrants to higher education.