Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Sunday said the government is determined to bring English-medium O Level and A Level education under a regulatory framework and integrate its students into the mainstream education system.

“I wanted to bring English-medium education under a regulation before, but for some reason it could not be done,” he said at a seminar at a hotel in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.

The seminar focused on expanding public university admission opportunities for students following national and international curricula and ensuring a fair and inclusive higher education system.

The minister expressed concern over the low participation of English-medium students in public universities and the limited opportunities available to them for admission.

Recalling a recent orientation programme at Jahangirnagar University, he said only two of nearly 1,000 students came from English-medium backgrounds.

“This can hardly be good news,” he said.

Milon held public universities and the University Grants Commission (UGC) equally accountable for the low admission rate, saying neither could avoid responsibility.

He noted that English-medium graduates had previously held important positions in the country and demonstrated their capabilities, but their contributions were less visible now.

“That is not seen now. We have to find out why English-medium students are failing to contribute to the country,” he said.

Participants discussed policy, structural and procedural barriers faced by students following international curricula when seeking admission to higher education institutions.

Key issues included admission eligibility, equivalence of O Level and A Level qualifications, application procedures and the compatibility of university admission tests with students’ academic backgrounds.

Speakers stressed the need to ensure equal opportunities for students from different curricula while maintaining merit-based selection and academic standards.

They also discussed ways to make admission procedures more transparent, accessible and inclusive, taking into account differences in course content and assessment methods across curricula.

The discussion also covered admission opportunities for international curriculum students at medical colleges, engineering universities and other higher education institutions.