Should there be an age cap on higher education?

The purpose of a university is to unlock the minds of its students, challenge prejudices and, more importantly, host a platform which fosters the creation of knowledge. 

Most universities, including Harvard and MIT (Massachusetts Institutes of Technology), do not impose age limits on admission; all one needs to do is meet the necessary requirements. 

Technically, most public universities in Bangladesh also do not impose any 'age limit' on candidates. Instead, they restrict the so-called 'second-timers' (who had passed their Higher Secondary Certificate exams with the previous batch or applied to get admitted before) from sitting for admission tests, let alone seniors who are much older than the fresh high-school graduates. 

The Minister of Education of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), Dr Dipu Moni, did not seem to agree with this arrangement. On November 4, at a programme on Jahangirnagar University premises, she said that age barriers and time limits should be removed for admission into public universities. 

"People of any age have the right to study in university if they can pass the admission test. No obstacle can be placed in the way of education," she said.

I, for one, wholeheartedly agree with the Minister and so does Dr M M Akash, Chairman, Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka.

"Everybody has the right to pursue education regardless of their age. Formal education opportunities, if possible, should be kept open. In principle, I believe there should not be any restrictions on university admission. As a moral dictum, you cannot go against it."

Dr Amanat Ullah Khan, a former Professor at the University of Dhaka, agreed.

"No university should impose an age limitation on tertiary education. Many of these people could not attend college because of family and financial reasons. Workplaces should allow employees to take study leaves to complete their education if they want to."

Apart from principle justification, there are many consequential benefits of keeping the university of admissions open. 

A diverse classroom and eclectic discourse

Most prominent universities value diversity in their classrooms. But this diversity need not only come from race, gender or ethnicity but also differences in age. 

Allowing students from different age groups in the class can contribute uniquely to a classroom. Given the relative maturity and sincerity, senior students can also set a standard of responsible behaviour for the young ones to follow. 

As Dr Amanatullah Khan said, "During my time teaching first-year students in the United States, I found many senior students in my class. They were among the most eager to learn and the most sincere. They used to submit homework and assignments on time."

Suppose there are people of different ages in a classroom. In that case, they add different perspectives to the classroom, which adds variety to the discussion and makes the class more interesting and insightful. 

A pinch of experience can go a long way

Many senior students have had years of experience working in the field. They already know how to apply textbook knowledge in the real world and navigate tricky situations in the workplace and life. 

"The Vice Chancellor of DU, in a recent interview, said that the age differences between the students will apparently be a problem in the classroom. That is not at all the case. Instead, older students can enrich the discussions in the classroom. They can bring in their real-life experiences and add new-found meaning to the discourse," said Dr Amanatullah Khan.

According to Dr Khan, the jaded senior students can share their experiences and valuable life lessons with the younglings, which can prepare them better for what's out there and, as an added benefit, may take the monotony of hour-long lectures away. 

Giving people a second chance

People can fail to attend admission tests at their dream universities for many reasons. In the most unfortunate cases, students may become severely ill, get in an accident or simply be forced off to work or marry instead of pursuing further education. 

Belayet Hossain, a 55-year-old man from Gazipur's Sreepur, sat for the University of Dhaka (DU) admission test on 11 June this year. Before that, he passed his SSC and HSC examination in 2019 and 2021, respectively. 

Belayet first attempted to sit for the SSC examination in 1983 but could not due to a lack of money. In 1988, he tried again and failed as the flood swept across the nation.

While Belayet's indomitable spirit is inspired, to say the least, he was able to sit for the DU Admission Test because he passed the HSC exam with the most recent batch and had never attended the admission test before. 

In the current status quo, students get no second chance to apply for admission at many of the topmost public universities like the University of Dhaka and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. 

But most people of Beayet's age would not be eligible to sit for the exams as they have either passed their HSC examinations a long time ago or had already sat for the DU admission test at least once in their life. 

Many professors and administrators cite the lack of seats as well as the erosion of the competitive advantage of young students as the reasons for not allowing candidates to sit for admission tests more than once in public universities. 

Dr M M Akash said, "There is a limited number of seats. When young people are competing against older candidates, the older candidates might out-compete them thanks to their experience. This can create a problem."

Dr Sadeka Halim, former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Dhaka, had a similar assessment. 

"While I understand that students may fail to attend admission tests at the University of Dhaka for various legitimate reasons, ranging from family problems to financial crisis, Bangladesh is a densely populated country. Youth aged between 15-29 constitutes roughly 25% of the population and we simply do not have enough resources to accommodate so many students in admission tests, let alone admit them at the university," she said.

Giving women their agency back

Allowing older candidates to appear for DU admission tests can be particularly beneficial for older female candidates. In Bangladeshi socio-economic conditions, early marriage is a regrettable but pervasive reality. Many girls, even those who get admitted to universities, fail to complete their higher education and are forced or manipulated by their families to get married. 

Given their lack of education and subsequent financial inadequacies, many women find themselves being valued less than their male counterparts, sometimes even by their children. To make matters worse, many of them get divorced, which can leave them stranded with no higher education to support their claim for a job. Many women, in fact, hold on to long-term toxic relationships as they fear being unable to fend for themselves. 

So, opening university admissions to willing candidates of all ages should crucially enable women to become more self-reliant, financially empower themselves and garner the respect they deserve.

What should universities do?

Universities, supposedly the pinnacle of knowledge creation and dissemination, cannot harbour such close-minded practice of restricting people from certain age groups from partaking in higher education. 

As long as universities agree on this principle and it seems that they do, it should be possible to find ways to accommodate older candidates in public university admission tests.

For example, Dr Sadeka Halim identified a lack of resources as the primary problem and suggested decentralising admission tests around the country. According to her, a nationwide test can allow as many students as possible to attend the admission test. From that score, universities can select their preferred candidates for admission or further selection from that score. However, she acknowledges that this, at the moment, seems like a logistical nightmare and will require long-term planning to accomplish.