Need for upscaling performance by academics

As this was the first year of the BRAC University Faculty and Staff Award System, I recognise that we would need to strengthen the process of selection for it, to depend not only on the statements of candidates themselves and their supervisors but also on inclusion of a 360 degree evaluation of each nominee. This will involve seeking the views of students, colleagues and subordinates of the nominees in addition to current nomination requirements. The members of the Selection Committee will be jointly and severally responsible for the selection of awardees.
Our dream of creating BRAC University as a centre of excellence in education and research has progressed steadily over the years. We have been able to attract distinguished intellectuals such as Dr. Akbar Ali Khan, Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam, Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, Professor Emeritus Hafeez G. A. Siddliqi as scholars in residence and Prof. Anisuzzaman to the Board of Trustees.
Our three post-graduate institutes specifically created to advance BRAC's development agenda have been contributing significantly to fulfill their mandate. The research and educational output of the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, BRAC Institute of Educational Development and BRAC School of Public Health have been excellent thus far.
They have brought out seminal reports on the State of the Governance in Bangladesh, State of Education in Bangladesh and State of Health in Bangladesh annually, stimulating lively discussions in the media and elsewhere. No other institutions including all the universities of Bangladesh, has so far been able to match the range and output of our graduate institutes.
BRAC University without the graduate institutes is essentially an undergraduate college, where teaching-learning is the primary function. Bangladeshi students, whose schooling has been mostly spent in rote learning and memorisation, suffer from multiple deficiencies - they are not taught to write precisely and express ideas in their own language because memorised text reproduced in exam papers fetches full marks.
Students coming out of our deficient school system need special care with student-centred teaching to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills. We need to ensure that they develop the habit of reading and can express what they learn in their own words. Memorised text in exam papers should be given the lowest marks at our university.
I am convinced that, unless our faculty are trained to develop critical thinking among students in classroom discussions, we will not progress at all. I am asking the Vice Chancellor to take up the training of our faculty in right earnest to enable them to teach their subject matter and engage students in critical thinking. The Vice Chancellor will need to institute a system to monitor the classroom teaching of each teacher as to the quality of their classroom performance. He will also need to ensure that they conduct classes henceforth only in English.
Improving the quality of graduates through better quality teaching and learning and their ability to write correctly and with precision is our university's essential task in the immediate future. We would then be able to produce quality graduates who would function effectively in the next stage of their lives.
No other parent organisation of private universities in Bangladesh has been required to subsidise their university expenditure. All private universities are not only covering their recurring expenditure but also building their campus from their own surplus. In the case of BRAC university since it came into existence BRAC has spent about Taka 4.35 billion, the largest part of which has been spent in the provision of land for the building of the campus valued at Taka 2.93 billion. BRAC is also providing $200,000 annually for the cost of a fund raiser attached to BRAC USA to mobilize more resources for the university,
In view of the above, I would like the Vice Chancellor and the Treasurer to take up a cost-cutting exercise in order to create greater surplus substantially to finance the campus building over the next four years.
BRAC University students together with those who study at North South University now pay the highest level of fees to study at university. These students and their parents would naturally demand the highest quality of education we can offer in this country. For your information, BRAC University's salary scale for faculty is also the highest among all universities and we have provided inflation adjustment to salaries each year.
All private universities in Bangladesh requires full-time faculty to teach at least 12 hours per week. The Board of Trustees (BoT) has therefore taken a decision to require 12 hours of teaching unless a faculty has been exempted from taking 12 hours of classes for reasons such as administrative responsibilities, research or other community service requirement approved by the University. Additional sums, however, may be paid to faculty, for taking classes beyond 12 hours.
I understand that an order issued by the Registrar last year requesting all full time university faculty to work 40 hours a week and record their arrival and departure times by swiping their identity card created quite a bit of unhappiness among the faculty, some of whom I understand are not very disciplined about keeping time for students and for preparing lesson plans before delivering features. The Vice Chancellor was asked to work out an acceptable solution to the problem without the faculty having to record their arrival and departure times. This matter was thus resolved amicably.
It has came to my notice that, in the last Academic Council meeting, the decision of the Board of Trustees regarding 12 hours of classes for full-time faculty was discussed without any decision being taken as to when 12-hour week class requirement will be implemented. I should like to state here that it is not the Academic Council which decides the working hours and terms and condition of the service of the faculty. It is the Board of Trustees which takes such decisions.
As Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Founder of the University, I am making 12 hours of classes mandatory for all full-time university faculty with the exceptions mentioned earlier. Those who do not take 12 hours of classes will be paid on a course contract basis and will not be treated as full-time faculty.
The minimum hours that a full-time faculty will be required to be available at the University will be 12+18=30 hours for class preparation, student advising, script checking and other related purposes. Any faculty available at the university premises less than 30 hours per week without the written consent of the department head will be paid salary proportionate to the hours attended at the University. It is understood that faculty do spend additional time at home related to university work which makes up the 40-hour requirement.
This will now be effective from the beginning of the Fall Semester 2015. This year's inflation adjustment to salaries will be effective from the same date.
I am confident that BRAC University will achieve a distinctive place in the world of Higher Education, not only in Bangladesh, but globally in the not too distant future.
The writer, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG, is founder of BRAC and chairman of Board of Trustees of BRAC University. This is an adapted version of the speech delivered by him at "BRAC University Faculty and Staff Award" ceremony held on May 14, 2015