Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in the capital has admitted an additional 150 students through the sibling quota in the 2024 academic year, in violation of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education’s (DSHE) guidelines.

The DSHE guideline states that private educational institutions can admit 5% of students through the sibling quota, which allows Viqarunnisa to enroll 81 students through the quota. However, the Viqarunnisa authorities have admitted 231 students at a rate of 15%.

In the sibling quota, 106 have been admitted to the main branch, 22 to the Dhanmondi branch, 49 to the Basundhara branch, and 54 to the Azimpur branch. Eight students have been admitted under the teacher's daughter quota. A total of 648 students from the cantonment area and 77 freedom fighter quotas, with 19 reserved for the education ministry, one for the physically challenged, and 645 general students, have been admitted.

A total of 1,629 students have been admitted in the current year. Among them, the highest number of admissions is in the main branch with 715 students, followed by 174 in the Dhanmondi branch, 330 in the Basundhara branch, and 410 in the Azimpur branch.

Insiders say the admission of these additional students under the sibling quota may jeopardize the admission of other eligible students.

Viqarunnisa authorities claim that they have admitted the additional students in accordance with verbal directives from the DSHE. However, the DSHE has clarified that there is no provision for admission based on verbal directives.

According to Article-14 of DSHE’s admission guideline for private institutions, if the applicant student's sibling is already studying, whether brother or sister or both, then 5% of the seats will be reserved for them. This will be applicable for the top two children of any couple. If the number of applications exceeds, the admission committee will select 5% of the students through a digital lottery.

Authorities related to the admission of the school and college said that, like the previous year, students have been admitted to Viqarunnisa in the catchment area, siblings, and freedom fighter quotas this year. Seeking anonymity, an official of Viqarunnisa School and College said, “The institution has been admitting students under the sibling quota of 15% since before. In 2023, DSHE included the quota in the guideline for the first time where 5% of the sibling quota is reserved.”

“However, when there is an excess of applications in this quota, we inform the authorities. At that time, the DSHE pressures us to admit 15% of the students under the sibling quota,” he added.

He said, “Even though we requested it in writing, they said there was no need for written instructions. Then we admit 15% of the students under the sibling quota as per their instructions.”

“But now they have changed their stance. They are saying that they did not give any written instructions from the authorities. Now if someone goes to court, the admission of the remaining 10% of the students under the sibling quota may also be canceled.”

Mentionable, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College authorities recently have canceled the admission of 169 students following the High Court's directive on age limit complications. This sudden cancellation of admission has put these students in distress.

Meanwhile, guardians are anxious about the situation, fearing it may worsen if the issue of additional admissions under the sibling quota becomes more complicated.

Regarding this matter, Principal (acting) of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Keka Roy Chowdhury, could not be reached. However, Prof Syed Jafar Ali, director (Secondary) of DSHE, told the Daily Sun, “Institutions outside the directorate have no authority to comment in this regard [admission].

“If the Viqarunnisa authorities do comment, it implies they are exerting pressure on themselves and others, possibly to protect themselves. This is because there is no provision for verbal instructions regarding admissions.”