The decision to centrally initiate this year's college admissions through an online system may have been well-intentioned but its poor execution has left two lakh students still without a seat in a college. The technical glitch, for which the education minister has apologised, has also resulted in many meritorious students being forced to accept whatever college that has been assigned to them rather than the ones they had enlisted as their preferred choice. This bizarre crisis has left these young people, their parents and teachers in frustration and despair.

It is unfair that even after qualifying in the merit list so many students are still in uncertainty because their names were not included in the first two lists. The seats of most of the well reputed colleges have been filled up so there is very little chance that the remaining students will get into an institution of their first or even second choice. 

The Dhaka Board's failure to update data about the seats and other admission-related information and the inability to complete the list of so many students in such a short time by BUET, which was responsible for this task, are largely to be blamed for this nightmarish situation. 

It is unacceptable that such an important task as this should be carried out in such a shoddy manner. The future of a student largely depends on what kind of two-year college he or she can get into. The government must immediately take steps to make sure all these waiting students are absorbed into such institutions without their having to lose valuable time from their academic year. It must also make sure that next year there will not be any such technical glitches that turn the admission process into such a colossal mess.