The real deficit in higher education

Detailed summary

The government made a bold and necessary move to avoid the populist temptation of cosmetically improving results for political gain, taking a step towards establishing academic…

The government made a bold and necessary move to avoid the populist temptation of cosmetically improving results for political gain, taking a step towards establishing academic integrity by undertaking an impartial grading process at public examinations. The process has resulted in a low pass percentage in this year’s higher secondary and equivalent exams.

For the successful 6,46,685 HSC and equivalent candidates, there is a sudden availability of extra seats at the tertiary level. According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), there are nearly 15 lakh undergraduate places for the 2026-27 academic session. This is not a final vacancy count as earlier cohorts and supplementary candidates will also seek admission.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.