AFTER passing intermediate examinations, it is a dream of almost every student to get admission to a university on the basis of merit. Some succeed in acquiring it, whereas for the majority of them, the dream remains unfulfilled owing to admission criteria.

It is a known fact that universities offer admissions on the basis of a formula that gives weightage to matriculation and intermediate marks.

This is unjust because the two examinations are passed by many through unfair means because cheating, at least in Sindh, is rampant to the extent that marks and grades are actually `sold` at a high price by the mafia sitting in education boards. Naturally, studentshaving low socio-economic status cannot afford spending such money, and their dreams stand shattered despite their hard and honest ef forts.

Recently, when the Government College University (GCU) in Lahore announced admission to its BS progra-mmes, I applied for a seat in the Law department. Though I passed the entry test and the interview conducted by the university, I could not get admission due to low marks in Intermediate, becasue, unlike many, I had not been able to `purchase` higher marks and grades.

The authorities concerned should either take strict action against the mafias and remove them from the education boards or change the admission policy of universities so that a poor but meritorious student is not denied admission only because he could not acquire high grades despite qualifying the admission test and interview.

G. A kbar Pa lijo Larkana