Govt to take up reforms in higher education

FE Team | Published: July 19, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

FHM Humayan Kabir
The caretaker government is going to take up reforms in higher education, particularly in the public universities, aiming at bring about a qualitative change in the education system.
Under the reform programme, the curriculum in Bangladesh's public universities and the education system, facilities for the student and teachers, and overall environment in the universities will be advanced to the international level, official sources said.
The government will seek financial support from World Bank (WB) to undertake the reforms in the higher education system. For the first time in the history, the global lender has assured the government to provide US$100 million for taking up reform programme in Bangladesh's higher education system.
Sources in the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said that a visiting WB mission will meet with the ERD secretary, Aminul Islam Bhuiyan, today (Thursday) to discuss the possible support of the Bank for implementing the reforms in universities.
A senior ERD official told the FE: "The World Bank has come forward to help the government bring major reforms in the higher education system."
"Although the government on several occasions in the past tried to convince the donors to take their help for overhauling in the higher educational system, the donors did not respond fearing that it would not bring much improvement under the existing political culture," he said.
Since a non-political and reform-friendly interim government is now in power, the donor has come forward to support the reform programme, he added.
The official said that under the proposed WB supported overhauling programme, involvement in politics by teachers and students in the public universities might be restricted, the tuition fees of the student could be raised and the overall education system would be developed up to the international level along with bringing a change in educational curriculum.
Another official in the ERD said that the visiting World Bank mission was now discussing with authorities of different public universities and responsible government ministries and agencies to find out the loopholes of the Bangladesh's higher education system where the reform would have to be done.
After the completion of the mission, the delegation of the Washington-based lender will prepare a report with recommendations on necessary reforms in Bangladesh's higher education system, he informed.