Bangladesh News

The committee formed to investigate fake admissions at Dhaka University (DU) suspects that many students cheated their way to admission with the help of a number of unscrupulous coaching centres.

Sources in the probe committee said these students either did not take the admission test or were not on the merit list prepared by the dean’s office.

A probe committee source said, “If these fake students are not caught, they will complete their studies and get genuine certificates. But none will know about their act of forgery.”

The committee said an organised and powerful nexus comprising university officials at different levels, a section of teachers, student leaders and a few organisations outside the university–coaching centres and consultancy firms–is involved in the mischief.

Earlier, the probe body suspected that a strong network of officials at the offices of faculty deans, departments, institutes, the administrative building and residential halls is active to prepare documents with forged signatures of the authorities to take these fake students.

Headed by DU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, the committee was formed in the wake of allegations of inconsistencies in the admission papers of 11 students of the public administration department.

The racket takes students in different departments and institutes in exchange of money by utilising the loopholes, especially the quota system, in the admission process.

They also eye the seats fallen vacant when students migrate from one subject to another.

In an interim report, the committee found some 30 fake students in the departments of public administration, economics, and international relations in 2004-2005 session. Later, 20 more cases of fake admission were detected in the economics department.

The committee also detected a secretary’s son who got his admission in the economics department by forging documents.

“The probe committee is taking the matter of fake admission very seriously and it will proceed for necessary measures to identify the syndicate involved with it,” Prof Yusuf Haider said.

The probe committee on Wednesday gave a list of 30 identified fake students to the police. It also sent show cause notices to the students concerned asking them to reply within 15 days why their admissions will not be cancelled.

“We have information that some consultancy firms, mainly located in Panthapath area of the city, are involved in the forgery,” a member of the committee said.

DU authorities on April 4 formed a five-member committee, comprising the dean of social science faculty and the chairmen of different departments in the faculty, to investigate if there were anomalies in the faculty’s admission process.

Sources said committees should also be formed to review the admission process of the faculties of business studies and science.

Meanwhile, the 11 departments of the social science faculty held a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress of its probe into the fake admission.

The meeting was told that fake admissions in the faculty took place in the name of re-admission and under the quota system.

Sources said the meeting suspected that an office assistant of the public administration department is involved in the forgery of documents.

The official has long remained absent on the ground of ill health. The department asked him to join on Thursday otherwise departmental proceedings would be taken against him.