For widening the access to higher education
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Ehsanul Kabir
TRADITIONALLY, the public universities have been regarded as suitable centres of higher education. Such institutions do possess in most cases sufficient campus spaces, faculties and other physical attributes to justify being regarded as full-fledged universities, unlike the private ones, many of which have namesake campuses only. Besides, public universities are also the first choice of the majority of higher education-seekers. This is because these institutions are considered as affordable by them compared to the private universities where tuition fees and other charges are many times higher. Though a number of public universities have been facing the problems of campus violence and session jams, their standard of education is otherwise considered to be better than that of most of the private ones. However, a few private universities maintain better educational standard than the public universities.
For the reasons stated above, it is desirable that public universities should increase in number as these are found conforming broadly to standards expected of universities. These higher seats of learning are also helping to fulfill the higher educational ambitions of a far larger number of students who find the costs of education in most private universities unbearable. Indeed, the practice in many countries, specially at the better governed ones, is to make sufficient public resources available for public education because private education can be costly. Making education resources almost free for the young citizens under a proper accountable system and through effective governance practices for such public universities, pays off in the form of creation of human resources who then can help in the spurring of economic growth. There is, thus, a strong justification for raising governmental allocations to the existing public universities and increasing the number of such universities.
Considerable investment in the establishment of public universities has not been noted since the independence of the country. This is unfortunate. Serious efforts have not also been made to improve governance of public universities through enforcement of all possible measures to ensure transparency and accountability of their activities that are supported by public funds. Under such circumstances, narrow partisan interests of the ruling political parties or alliances or powers-that-be have adversely impacted the academic and other inter-related activities of public universities.
It is of utmost importance to address such problems sooner than later in order to enable the public universities play the lead role in development of the country's human resources in their premium segment. And then, the government also needs to refocus attention and strategy to channel substantially increased resources to the establishment of public universities. It should also likewise increase allocations for the existing public universities.
It is worthwhile to note here that only a small part of the budget of the public universities are spent on education and the most of it goes mainly to pay salaries and other allowances to teachers and general employees of these universities. The scanty amount spent on education underlines the pressing necessity to increase governmental allocations for the existing public universities.
TRADITIONALLY, the public universities have been regarded as suitable centres of higher education. Such institutions do possess in most cases sufficient campus spaces, faculties and other physical attributes to justify being regarded as full-fledged universities, unlike the private ones, many of which have namesake campuses only. Besides, public universities are also the first choice of the majority of higher education-seekers. This is because these institutions are considered as affordable by them compared to the private universities where tuition fees and other charges are many times higher. Though a number of public universities have been facing the problems of campus violence and session jams, their standard of education is otherwise considered to be better than that of most of the private ones. However, a few private universities maintain better educational standard than the public universities.
For the reasons stated above, it is desirable that public universities should increase in number as these are found conforming broadly to standards expected of universities. These higher seats of learning are also helping to fulfill the higher educational ambitions of a far larger number of students who find the costs of education in most private universities unbearable. Indeed, the practice in many countries, specially at the better governed ones, is to make sufficient public resources available for public education because private education can be costly. Making education resources almost free for the young citizens under a proper accountable system and through effective governance practices for such public universities, pays off in the form of creation of human resources who then can help in the spurring of economic growth. There is, thus, a strong justification for raising governmental allocations to the existing public universities and increasing the number of such universities.
Considerable investment in the establishment of public universities has not been noted since the independence of the country. This is unfortunate. Serious efforts have not also been made to improve governance of public universities through enforcement of all possible measures to ensure transparency and accountability of their activities that are supported by public funds. Under such circumstances, narrow partisan interests of the ruling political parties or alliances or powers-that-be have adversely impacted the academic and other inter-related activities of public universities.
It is of utmost importance to address such problems sooner than later in order to enable the public universities play the lead role in development of the country's human resources in their premium segment. And then, the government also needs to refocus attention and strategy to channel substantially increased resources to the establishment of public universities. It should also likewise increase allocations for the existing public universities.
It is worthwhile to note here that only a small part of the budget of the public universities are spent on education and the most of it goes mainly to pay salaries and other allowances to teachers and general employees of these universities. The scanty amount spent on education underlines the pressing necessity to increase governmental allocations for the existing public universities.