Private universities must offer quality education
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Fakhrul Islam
THEgrowth of private universities in Bangladesh has been phenomenal in recent years. Any visitor to the Dhaka city will, undoubtedly, be surprised and also encouraged to see so many sign/billboards of private universities at different significant locations of the city. Throughout the year these universities give frequent advertisements in the national dailies and local newspapers covering information about the admission dates, tuition fees, courses offered and facilities available. Richard Hopper comments "Bangladesh image of poverty and natural disasters seems a world away from the air-conditioned computer lab at the private North South University (NSU) in Dhaka. Here undergraduate students of business administration........ in spite of the crowded squalls on the streets below.......work at computer terminals with Pentium processors and laser printers". The most striking fact about these universities is that about ninety five percent of these universities are located in the Dhaka city.
Since the enactment of Private Universities Act of 1992, there has been an astonishing expansion of private universities in Bangladesh. While in the year 2000, the number of private universities in Bangladesh was 17, today it has reached to a total of 51. Obviously, this growth rate seems unhealthy in consideration of the per capita income of the country and also in terms of quality assurance of higher education. Because education in these universities is much more expensive than the public universities where tuition fees are nearly 10/20 Tk. One most familiar feature of these universities is that they follow an American method of education. They offer four-year bachelor degree programmes with credit hour based course. Because of the legacy of the British rule the education system of this country was totally based on the British model. With the emergence of the private universities since 1992, the American system of education is being introduced in the country. This system has also created a popular appeal .
In any country the universities remain the highest seats of learning apart from teaching. The faculty members engage themselves in research-based studies and ultimately disseminate this knowledge to respective communities----local and global. In the context of Bangladesh the role of the universities in the development of the country is very crucial. For making very effective and maximum use of its natural resources and for producing qualified, efficient manpower, the emerging private universities can play a pivotal role in the total development of the country including its economy. This article seeks to examine the nature of education these universities provide for their students, the level of the standard of education, the areas in which they offer courses and the ways these universities make a departure from the traditional norms of public universities.
The demand for private education
at the tertiary level
The opening of private universities was a long-felt demand . In the developed countries private universities play a vital role in the growth of education, research and scholarship along with public universities. In our country, apart from these universities where they supplement the total education system, the basic need to establish private universities came from the limitations and inadequacies of our public education system in the country. The eight public universities located in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Mymensingh were the main centers of higher education where thousands of our students from the whole country used to contend for placements into different departments . The competition was always very intense and many students could not find placements in the merit-based admission test. Even today, this competition for placements has not lessened in its intensity. One basic reason is that student can pursue their higher studies at these public universities with nominal tuition fees having better academic and teaching facilities and the majority of the brilliant students of the country go to study there. However, these public universities can accommodate only 25% of our students who wish to go for higher studies at these universities every year. So, inevitably, the need was felt to create opportunities for the remaining majority students to continue higher studies in some institutions other than public universities. Moreover, the gradual deterioration of academic environment in the public universities principally caused by campus politics, provided the great impetus for finding an alternative education system which could help in the bypassing of these problems faced by the public universities.
As soon as the Private Universities act of 1992 was passed in the parliament, many educationists, intellectuals and guardians welcomed it as an expansion of our education at the private level, which could create opportunities for many students at the tertiary level and at the same time it could function to complement the long established public system of education in the country.
While the education in the public universities were stagnating in the mire of politics, terrorism and session-jams over the years, the common people became happy to see an alternative higher education system taking shape in the country where their children could pursue higher studies in a politics-free, peaceful and congenial academic environment. Over the years the campuses of the public universities have been the battlegrounds for the student-wings of the many political parties of the country where they frequently fight for their political supremacy and dominance. Many innocent sudents also lose their valuable lives during the armed fighting among these student groups. Because of these political feuds and constant unrest, the campuses of these universities become closed for unlimited period. In many cases, a student has to spend six years for completing a degree of three/four year duration. Considering all the vices and irregularities prevailing in the public universities, the passing of Private University Act of 1992 opened up a new vista in the history of our university education. A section of the citizenry who could afford to send their children abroad for higher education got an option to consider their cases whether they should send their children abroad any more for higher education or admit them in the private universities within the country.
The mass growth of private
universities and its effect
The main objectives of establishing private universities in Bangladesh were to meet the growing demand for higher education where huge number of students having necessary educational backgrounds and the willingness to pursue higher studies at the university level did not get the opportunities to do so because of limited seats in the public universities. It was thought that the opening of private universities would lessen the pressure on public universities for admission and help to create more skilled and qualified manpower for the economic development of the country. Specially, the need was felt more acutely in the field of science, commerce and technology.
It was also expected that the private universities would, in the course of their gradual development as full-blown universities, play their supplemental role in the expansion of higher education . Now, it is time to look at the growth of private universities in the country. At present 54 private universities are functioning in the country. While the number of private universities in the year 2000 was 17, by now it has reached to a total of 51. The growth rate is astonishing and sounds unhealthy. Although some of the private universities are doing very well , the majority of these universities have yet to go a long way to earn the reputation and credibility in the academic arena. Out of the 51 private universities, a very few have, however, earned the reputation of a good private university. A few of them have produced competent, qualified graduates for the job market in the country since their inception in 1992. However, the academic standards of majority of the private universities fall far short of the expected level. With the provision of the Private University Act 1992, UGC has been empowered to control and monitor the activities of the private universities. Observing the unhealthy growth of private universities and their malfunctioning, some educationists and intellectuals of the country have became aware of the inadequacies of the Private University Act of 1992 and the role of the UGC in this connection. Professor M. Harunur Rashid in his article Private Universities and the proposed act in Dhaka Courier expressed his dismayed view of the act: "The Act of 1992 was a fragile instrument which was honored more in its breach than observance", he wrote. He further comments "The new Act reportedly is an instrument, which is ambivalent in its attitude to education. It fails to categorically state whether education is a commodity or a social right".
The first allegation refers to the lack of explicit and detailed framework in the act to ensure governance of the private universities. The second allegation is more serious in its implication. It marks the idea of a private university as a non-profit organization. Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury in his paper read in a national seminar arranged by UGC in 2001, has identified the limitations of the act regarding the framework for governance: "University Law 1992 (and 1998 amendment) does not provide detailed framework for governance".
A nine member high power committee was formed by the Ministry of Education in July 15, 2003 headed by the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh Professor Dr. M. Asaduzzaman to investigate into the affairs of the private universities and then make a report on the status of these universities. The committee submitted their report after one year in which they identified nine universities which wrre seen as functioning satisfactorily. They singled out 35 universities that fall short of academic standard set by the UGC and suggested to fix the time-limits for these universities so that they could improve their standard by the stipulated time limit. The committee also recommended for the cancellation of the permission of the remaining eight universities. The report, undoubtedly, gave an impression that conditions are not satisfactory in the majority of the private universities. In fact, many of these universities have certain basic problems. One of the most basic problems is the shortage of senior and qualified faculty members. These universities also suffer from proper accommodation facilities. They rent private houses for classrooms and offices, which are not suitable for academic purposes. They also do not have the well-equipped labs and rich libraries. Another significant area of weakness of these universities is the quality of students. The bulk of the students they offer admissions are not up to the standard in merit and aptitude for becoming university students. This lack of standard hampers the quality of education. In such cases when the authorities become commercially motivated, the students are given grades that they actually do not deserve. The real truth behind this situation is that many of these universities cannot stage a competition among the admission seekers. A handful of private universities are however free from this malady.
One remarkable feature of all the private universities is that they offer courses in business studies. They produce graduates with BBA and MBA degrees. In fact, the graduates of business studies have already outnumbered the graduates of other disciplines. This is because of the market demand. By now the enrolment rate of students in computer science has decreased in almost all the private universities. This fall in enrolment is also determined by the market demand.
However, the huge number of business graduates produced by these private universities along with the public universities are creating, in a sense, a social imbalance in the country and has surpassed the requirements of the in-country job market. Many graduates from public universities in disciplines like History, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Bengali, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, Anthropology and the like are losing their chances of getting jobs in many organizations and business houses when the owners find the options of recruiting business graduates in place of graduates from traditional subjects with the same pay structure.
Conclusion and recommendation
Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury in his paper titled Private Universities in Bangladesh : Governance, Quality of Education and Expectations made a very significant remark at the end of his paper : "Is there any demand for more private university" ? The answer is difficult. However, government should be very careful in awarding sanad ( approval certificate) in future. The life of young people and of the nation needs cautious decision. When he made his remark in the year 2000, the number of private universities in Bangladesh was 17 and at the end of 2006, this number has increased to the figure of 51. The private universities have opened up new avenues of higher education in the country, no doubt, but higher education must be ensured in terms of quality education. UGC conceives that it has a greater role to play in this connection. To check the commercial motive and at the same time to ensure quality education are indeed a difficult job. It is very unlikely that all the private universities of Bangladesh will be of the same background and academic standard. There must be some kind of variation in the areas of course offering, financial positions and quality of education. But each of these universities must fulfill the minimum requirements set by the UGC in matters of academic standard and physical facilities. What is needed most is the cumulative impact of these universities in the growth of higher education in the country.
Fakhrul Islam is a Ph.D. fellow at Dhaka University. He can be reached at
[email protected]
THEgrowth of private universities in Bangladesh has been phenomenal in recent years. Any visitor to the Dhaka city will, undoubtedly, be surprised and also encouraged to see so many sign/billboards of private universities at different significant locations of the city. Throughout the year these universities give frequent advertisements in the national dailies and local newspapers covering information about the admission dates, tuition fees, courses offered and facilities available. Richard Hopper comments "Bangladesh image of poverty and natural disasters seems a world away from the air-conditioned computer lab at the private North South University (NSU) in Dhaka. Here undergraduate students of business administration........ in spite of the crowded squalls on the streets below.......work at computer terminals with Pentium processors and laser printers". The most striking fact about these universities is that about ninety five percent of these universities are located in the Dhaka city.
Since the enactment of Private Universities Act of 1992, there has been an astonishing expansion of private universities in Bangladesh. While in the year 2000, the number of private universities in Bangladesh was 17, today it has reached to a total of 51. Obviously, this growth rate seems unhealthy in consideration of the per capita income of the country and also in terms of quality assurance of higher education. Because education in these universities is much more expensive than the public universities where tuition fees are nearly 10/20 Tk. One most familiar feature of these universities is that they follow an American method of education. They offer four-year bachelor degree programmes with credit hour based course. Because of the legacy of the British rule the education system of this country was totally based on the British model. With the emergence of the private universities since 1992, the American system of education is being introduced in the country. This system has also created a popular appeal .
In any country the universities remain the highest seats of learning apart from teaching. The faculty members engage themselves in research-based studies and ultimately disseminate this knowledge to respective communities----local and global. In the context of Bangladesh the role of the universities in the development of the country is very crucial. For making very effective and maximum use of its natural resources and for producing qualified, efficient manpower, the emerging private universities can play a pivotal role in the total development of the country including its economy. This article seeks to examine the nature of education these universities provide for their students, the level of the standard of education, the areas in which they offer courses and the ways these universities make a departure from the traditional norms of public universities.
The demand for private education
at the tertiary level
The opening of private universities was a long-felt demand . In the developed countries private universities play a vital role in the growth of education, research and scholarship along with public universities. In our country, apart from these universities where they supplement the total education system, the basic need to establish private universities came from the limitations and inadequacies of our public education system in the country. The eight public universities located in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Mymensingh were the main centers of higher education where thousands of our students from the whole country used to contend for placements into different departments . The competition was always very intense and many students could not find placements in the merit-based admission test. Even today, this competition for placements has not lessened in its intensity. One basic reason is that student can pursue their higher studies at these public universities with nominal tuition fees having better academic and teaching facilities and the majority of the brilliant students of the country go to study there. However, these public universities can accommodate only 25% of our students who wish to go for higher studies at these universities every year. So, inevitably, the need was felt to create opportunities for the remaining majority students to continue higher studies in some institutions other than public universities. Moreover, the gradual deterioration of academic environment in the public universities principally caused by campus politics, provided the great impetus for finding an alternative education system which could help in the bypassing of these problems faced by the public universities.
As soon as the Private Universities act of 1992 was passed in the parliament, many educationists, intellectuals and guardians welcomed it as an expansion of our education at the private level, which could create opportunities for many students at the tertiary level and at the same time it could function to complement the long established public system of education in the country.
While the education in the public universities were stagnating in the mire of politics, terrorism and session-jams over the years, the common people became happy to see an alternative higher education system taking shape in the country where their children could pursue higher studies in a politics-free, peaceful and congenial academic environment. Over the years the campuses of the public universities have been the battlegrounds for the student-wings of the many political parties of the country where they frequently fight for their political supremacy and dominance. Many innocent sudents also lose their valuable lives during the armed fighting among these student groups. Because of these political feuds and constant unrest, the campuses of these universities become closed for unlimited period. In many cases, a student has to spend six years for completing a degree of three/four year duration. Considering all the vices and irregularities prevailing in the public universities, the passing of Private University Act of 1992 opened up a new vista in the history of our university education. A section of the citizenry who could afford to send their children abroad for higher education got an option to consider their cases whether they should send their children abroad any more for higher education or admit them in the private universities within the country.
The mass growth of private
universities and its effect
The main objectives of establishing private universities in Bangladesh were to meet the growing demand for higher education where huge number of students having necessary educational backgrounds and the willingness to pursue higher studies at the university level did not get the opportunities to do so because of limited seats in the public universities. It was thought that the opening of private universities would lessen the pressure on public universities for admission and help to create more skilled and qualified manpower for the economic development of the country. Specially, the need was felt more acutely in the field of science, commerce and technology.
It was also expected that the private universities would, in the course of their gradual development as full-blown universities, play their supplemental role in the expansion of higher education . Now, it is time to look at the growth of private universities in the country. At present 54 private universities are functioning in the country. While the number of private universities in the year 2000 was 17, by now it has reached to a total of 51. The growth rate is astonishing and sounds unhealthy. Although some of the private universities are doing very well , the majority of these universities have yet to go a long way to earn the reputation and credibility in the academic arena. Out of the 51 private universities, a very few have, however, earned the reputation of a good private university. A few of them have produced competent, qualified graduates for the job market in the country since their inception in 1992. However, the academic standards of majority of the private universities fall far short of the expected level. With the provision of the Private University Act 1992, UGC has been empowered to control and monitor the activities of the private universities. Observing the unhealthy growth of private universities and their malfunctioning, some educationists and intellectuals of the country have became aware of the inadequacies of the Private University Act of 1992 and the role of the UGC in this connection. Professor M. Harunur Rashid in his article Private Universities and the proposed act in Dhaka Courier expressed his dismayed view of the act: "The Act of 1992 was a fragile instrument which was honored more in its breach than observance", he wrote. He further comments "The new Act reportedly is an instrument, which is ambivalent in its attitude to education. It fails to categorically state whether education is a commodity or a social right".
The first allegation refers to the lack of explicit and detailed framework in the act to ensure governance of the private universities. The second allegation is more serious in its implication. It marks the idea of a private university as a non-profit organization. Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury in his paper read in a national seminar arranged by UGC in 2001, has identified the limitations of the act regarding the framework for governance: "University Law 1992 (and 1998 amendment) does not provide detailed framework for governance".
A nine member high power committee was formed by the Ministry of Education in July 15, 2003 headed by the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh Professor Dr. M. Asaduzzaman to investigate into the affairs of the private universities and then make a report on the status of these universities. The committee submitted their report after one year in which they identified nine universities which wrre seen as functioning satisfactorily. They singled out 35 universities that fall short of academic standard set by the UGC and suggested to fix the time-limits for these universities so that they could improve their standard by the stipulated time limit. The committee also recommended for the cancellation of the permission of the remaining eight universities. The report, undoubtedly, gave an impression that conditions are not satisfactory in the majority of the private universities. In fact, many of these universities have certain basic problems. One of the most basic problems is the shortage of senior and qualified faculty members. These universities also suffer from proper accommodation facilities. They rent private houses for classrooms and offices, which are not suitable for academic purposes. They also do not have the well-equipped labs and rich libraries. Another significant area of weakness of these universities is the quality of students. The bulk of the students they offer admissions are not up to the standard in merit and aptitude for becoming university students. This lack of standard hampers the quality of education. In such cases when the authorities become commercially motivated, the students are given grades that they actually do not deserve. The real truth behind this situation is that many of these universities cannot stage a competition among the admission seekers. A handful of private universities are however free from this malady.
One remarkable feature of all the private universities is that they offer courses in business studies. They produce graduates with BBA and MBA degrees. In fact, the graduates of business studies have already outnumbered the graduates of other disciplines. This is because of the market demand. By now the enrolment rate of students in computer science has decreased in almost all the private universities. This fall in enrolment is also determined by the market demand.
However, the huge number of business graduates produced by these private universities along with the public universities are creating, in a sense, a social imbalance in the country and has surpassed the requirements of the in-country job market. Many graduates from public universities in disciplines like History, Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Bengali, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, Anthropology and the like are losing their chances of getting jobs in many organizations and business houses when the owners find the options of recruiting business graduates in place of graduates from traditional subjects with the same pay structure.
Conclusion and recommendation
Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury in his paper titled Private Universities in Bangladesh : Governance, Quality of Education and Expectations made a very significant remark at the end of his paper : "Is there any demand for more private university" ? The answer is difficult. However, government should be very careful in awarding sanad ( approval certificate) in future. The life of young people and of the nation needs cautious decision. When he made his remark in the year 2000, the number of private universities in Bangladesh was 17 and at the end of 2006, this number has increased to the figure of 51. The private universities have opened up new avenues of higher education in the country, no doubt, but higher education must be ensured in terms of quality education. UGC conceives that it has a greater role to play in this connection. To check the commercial motive and at the same time to ensure quality education are indeed a difficult job. It is very unlikely that all the private universities of Bangladesh will be of the same background and academic standard. There must be some kind of variation in the areas of course offering, financial positions and quality of education. But each of these universities must fulfill the minimum requirements set by the UGC in matters of academic standard and physical facilities. What is needed most is the cumulative impact of these universities in the growth of higher education in the country.
Fakhrul Islam is a Ph.D. fellow at Dhaka University. He can be reached at
[email protected]