Private universities today requested the University Grants Commission (UGC) to temporarily postpone its directives to stop assigning students' grades without holding semester finals, enrolling new students without admission tests, and holding tests online.

"We are requesting to postpone the University Grants Commission's call to stop enrolling new students without admission tests, and holding tests online till the discussion with Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh," APUB Chairman Sheikh Kabir Hossain said in a letter to UGC Chairman Professor Kazi Shahidullah.

The letter signed by the association's chairman was sent via email this afternoon, APUB Director (public relations) Belal Ahmed told The Daily Star. 

Against the backdrop of the evolving coronavirus situation, on Monday, the UGC in a statement said, "Several universities have taken the decision to assign students' grades without holding semester finals or evaluations and to enroll new students without admission tests. This is unethical."

It also said that some universities were trying to take online tests and some of them also started enrolling students for the summer semester during this crisis in the country.

In today's letter, APUB also requested the UGC to take a time-befitting decision to continue education digitally. The association said that they were ready to hold a discussion digitally.

The UGC's call to stop online exams and halt student admission system has created concern among students and guardians as well as private university authorities. This has also created uncertainty regarding online classes during this time of crisis.

Many renowned foreign universities are successfully using online exam and admission system. In our country, many private universities complete majorities of their admission work online. In this crisis hour, many universities installed state of the art technology aiming to take exams online, said the letter.

The Private University Act 2010 does not have a set rule on holding admission tests.

If the running semester is not completed, it will create a session-jam and put financial pressure on comparatively new private universities. As a result, the jobs of teachers and staff of these private universities will be uncertain, the letter said.