To start off with a few words borrowed from Robert McKee, an American author, "Do research. Feed your talent. Research not only wins the war on cliché, it's the key to victory over fear and its cousin, depression." Research and writing activity are inseparably bonded with teaching profession. Teaching stands for dissemination of knowledge at academic places like schools, colleges, universities etc. As the private sector of Bangladesh is currently a booming one, a huge number of privately owned academic institutions have been built up all over Bangladesh which I believe facilitate higher education for the students of our country. Due to limited number of seats in public universities, lots of students are currently pursuing higher studies in private universities and in this way these students are fulfilling their desire to obtain higher educational degrees. Moreover, private universities have generated employment for a great deal of people who work in privately owned universities as teachers and administrative officials. It needs to be added that some private universities have been imparting high quality education to their students with state-of-the-art academic standards which I find really admirable.
I was involved in a private university for several years and interacting with my students and colleagues always delighted me. When it comes to any point about universities, the importance of research-oriented functionalities cannot be evaded. And research work is not feasible without writing activity. Writing academic articles, literary reviews, developing research papers are the most vital part of a teacher's job and it is the most essential responsibility of the university concerned to encourage, recognise and reward this sort of avocation. Painfully true that, while a good number of top-ranking universities motivate their teachers to carry on research work, some other universities show vivid unwillingness to support research initiatives undertaken by their teachers. For this reason, writing practice and published works are not valued by the authorities of some universities, not all. These universities want their teachers only to take classes, examine answer sheets and to follow the entry and exit regulations. People running such universities think that writing articles and doing research are deviations from the principal task of teachers, weird it may sound though. Sometimes it is even difficult to distinguish these universities from elementary schools because of their lack of interest in promoting research. I know this piece of writing of mine may seem strange to some readers, but I am writing all these things in light of my own observations and opinions received from some intimate people who teach in different private universities. Taking admissions, conducting classes and issuing certificates are not the only objectives of a university. Undermining academic articles and failure to value research work are suicidal to the institutional soundness of a university and this may drive away good teachers. But who cares if devoted, potential, hard-working teachers quit a university where taking fees from students is the prime goal? I repeat, I don't mean to refer to all universities of Bangladesh as some universities, even some private institutions, are doing very well in the field of scholarly expeditions.
Running a university is widely different from running a restaurant or a department store. A university is a place where knowledge is shared with learners through the discourses of qualified teachers. When it comes to private universities, these qualified teachers are accountable to the owners of the universities, to be a little euphemistic, to boards of trustees or boards of directors. But what would happen if the owners of private universities, certainly not all, are not intellectually uplifted enough to judge the merit and resources of teachers concerned? Research work, published articles, conference papers illuminate the image of a teacher. Moreover, a teacher's publications play profound roles in promoting the status of a university. That's why some universities offer special privileges including monetary benefits to teachers who spontaneously write academic articles and pursue research assignments. However, an opposite scenario prevails in some places where teachers are discouraged to concentrate on writing activity and research efforts. Making money should never be the only aim of a university. A university is a place where intellect is allowed to bloom, merit is allowed to shine and academic expertise is allowed to flourish. If these things are not entertained in a university, that organisation should think twice before calling itself a university.
Doing research is an obligation for teachers belonging to higher institutions. That's why teachers work hard to get their papers published in high-impact journals. There is a qualitative distinction within teachers in this case too. Some teachers pick up research work only when it becomes mandatory without which they may not get promoted. On the other hand, some other teachers keep on doing research and continue writing academic articles as part of regular institutional chores, not just once in a blue moon. These teachers deserve applause because their relentless adherence to research is an evidence of their devotion to their jobs. It is one of the biggest responsibilities of all universities to ensure the availability of all necessary facilities for teachers to proceed with research work. To conclude on a pleasant note, some universities are successfully providing all sorts of support and cooperation to their teachers for the prevalence of a research-friendly ambience.
The writer is Vice President, Chowdhury Philanthropic Trust, Sylhet. He can be reached at e-mail:Â mhasib.chy@gmail.com
Status of research in privatised education
Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury | Published: February 27, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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