Private universities and quality of education

The University Grants Commission's (UGC) reported recommendation that 11 new private universities be given permission to come into operation, if they have built their campuses outside Dhaka, seems to have many gaps, for it is not known whether they would be compulsorily required to first set up the campuses outside Dhaka and then start functioning. In the past, many universities started off with a commitment to establish their own campuses but very few honoured that commitment. Most launched their activities from rented premises that can hardly be considered suitable for proper academic activities. So-called universities continue to function while remaining seriously deficient in vital areas such as the number and quality of teachers, as well as academic facilities like suitably provisioned libraries. There are over 50 such universities but most of them suffer from a poor image for the above reasons. Thus, it should be only logical to work for upgrading the standard in most of the private universities. Without ensuring that these self-declared universities comply with official requirements or the enforcement of rules and regulations in relation to them, allowing more of them to come into existence, can be a short-sighted policy. It was noted in the past that influential groups with powerful political connections were easily able to obtain permission to set up private universities regardless of quality. Whether this trend should be allowed to continue needs careful consideration from the highest level. A high-powered UGC committee that looked into the performance of private universities in 2003, gave a large number of them a period of five years to fulfill certain criteria to meet their licensing obligations. The UGC had set deadlines for these non-compliant institutions shift their campuses from hired buildings and meet other academic standards. But many of these institutions have not complied with the UGC orders or have done so only partially. So, the main challenge is to make sure that these are obliged to comply at an early date. The high costs of education in the private universities means that these remain off-limits to many students who hoped that they would come to their rescue in a situation where the public universities could offer them no seats. Qualitatively, excepting a few, the teaching standard, the academic atmosphere and the worth of the degrees of many of the private universities are said to be in doubt. But this has not prevented them from charging quite high fees. A large number of the private universities, housed in rented buildings, appear more like coaching centres than 'universities' - which should be equipped with varied facilities spread over big areas that create both an academic atmosphere and aesthetic environment. The government should encourage the growth of private institutions of higher education. But it must be much more serious about its regulatory functions. The formation of an accreditation council to rate the private universities for their standards and to disseminate its findings to students and guardians, is badly needed. The UGC, on its part, should no more be lenient in persuading the non-compliant institutions. It needs to give a shorter deadline to these institutions to improve their standards or face the surety of the termination of their licenses to operate.