Once, education was a tool for spreading light. Books were windows of thought, and teachers were the guides to enlightenment. But now, that light seems to have been replaced by a blind competition. Knowledge is no longer the standard of success certificates are. Education has become synonymous with filling up exam sheets, memorizing answers, and reciting them fluently. It has turned into a kind of business where students are the products, and university names are the brands. Nowadays, students don’t dream of becoming knowledgeable rather, they dream of getting admitted. Entering through the university gate has become the ultimate goal of life. The current education system has turned into a stage of competition, where an institutional tag alone determines who is meritorious and who is not.
The current education system in Bangladesh is largely based on bookish knowledge. From childhood, students enter a competition of memorization. Writing memorized answers in exam scripts to get good marks has become the only purpose of education. Yet, the connection of such knowledge to real life is almost nonexistent. The biggest example of this is the admission test. These exams are not just the gateway to universities anymore they are mental pressures, endless competitions where students are pushed into a battle that determines their social position through victory or defeat.
Every year, around 1.5 to 2 million students participate in this admission war. From the top-ranked universities to the rest, an inhumane competition continues. For a university with only 6,000 seats, around 300,000 applications are submitted. That means nearly 294,000 students are deemed unqualified just for failing to get a tag. Yet their merit, effort, or potential cannot be measured through this process. Even worse, many believe that if they cannot get into a public university or medical college, their life is over. Many families create such mental pressure that students start considering themselves failures. This is how frustration, depression, and even suicide emerge as tragic outcomes.
There are several reasons behind this inhumane competition of admission tests. One of the main reasons is the institutional tag based society. In our society, the question “Where did you study?” still holds the highest value. Students from public universities are assumed to be meritorious, while those from other institutions are often overlooked regardless of their talent, creativity, or analytical ability. The flaws of the education system are another major reason. Our curriculum is still dependent on rote learning. Students learn how to memorize and write answers, not how to think or analyze. The admission tests are also filled with book-based information battles. Practical knowledge or skills have no value. Coaching centers and commercial influences dominate the process. Admission tests have now become not just about education but also about business. Coaching centers earn millions every year. Their tricks and shortcuts have become the substitutes for merit. Thus, those who are financially capable get an advantage, while poor but talented students fall behind. Family and social pressure are the root causes of students breaking down mentally. Many parents value the name of the university as a symbol of social status rather than their child’s talent. This pressure breaks students mentally.
To stop this institutional tag race in the name of admission war, we must take some crucial steps. The education system needs reform. Admission tests should not be the only measurement of qualification the process should be based on continuous evaluation from school and college levels. More emphasis must be placed on practical knowledge, reasoning, analysis, and creative thinking. Institutional inequality must be reduced. All universities should be given equal opportunity and recognition instead of placing excessive importance on public institutions. Mental health protection must be ensured. The mental well-being of students should be prioritized. Counseling centers should be established in the education ministry and universities so that students don’t break down under pressure. The dependence on coaching centers must be reduced. The business that runs in the name of admission coaching often consumes the savings of many parents, while many students still fail to get admitted anywhere. The question patterns of admission tests should be designed in a way that evaluates thinking and understanding skills rather than memorization. This would automatically reduce the need for coaching. The mindset of parents and society must also change.
Parents should understand that getting into a university is not life itself it is just one phase of life. Anyone can become successful from any university. Success comes from hard work and skills, not from the name of an institution.
The admission test is no longer a measure of knowledge but rather a social race. In this race, many lose themselves some lose peace of mind, some lose confidence, and some lose the very meaning of life. Our society has been shaped in such a way that institutional names determine everything, not merit. Yet, no matter which university a student studies at, it is their hard work, creativity, and honesty that can make them successful. The most needed thing in Bangladesh’s education system right now is a change in perspective. We must understand that even if a student fails to get into a public university, their knowledge does not diminish the society’s perception does.
