Why must DU freshers suffer so much to pay fees?
It's a wonder why university freshers would need to stand under the blistering sun for three days just to enrol into the very institution they have been accepted to. This is exactly what happened during the just-concluded admission process at Dhaka University (DU). Students said they had to struggle with a slew of tedious and repetitive steps just to pay their fees, going from one building to another and waiting in queues for hours on end. Surely, one of the country's top educational institutions could've thought of a better, easier alternative?
Amid the lack of coordination among DU's offices, some 6,000 admission-seekers only had three days, beginning on Monday, to complete the whole process. Unsurprisingly, these many people standing in lines, desperate to finish all procedures, will lead to delays, sufferings, and utter chaos.
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This process, in this day and age, seems truly ancient. Reportedly, students had to pay the admission fees online, but then take the receipt to their respective department, which handed them a pay slip to deposit a development fee at the nearby Sonali Bank branch. Accomplishing this after trudging in line for hours did not bring relief, as they had to bring back the pay slip and get their documents signed from the department head, who by then likely left the premises. This whole process had to be repeated for paying the dorm fees.
When the country is striving for digitalisation, is this how a university, recently ranked as the best in Bangladesh, should be operating? Apparently, the admission committee had requested department heads to ensure that students could pay all fees online, but the latter ignored the call. Some heads weren't even aware of the request, such is the level of dysfunction and mismanagement. According to a professor, from the 90s till now, the admission process has remained the same, pointing to the DU's lack of progress, while the vice-chancellor himself has admitted to the dismal coordination.
We urge the DU authorities to address the ordeal students have to go through annually just to get admitted. This issue can easily be solved through the use of digital platforms and proper coordination among university bodies, and we hope to see just that next year.
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