UGC recommends setting up 'Accreditation Council' to ensure quality higher edn
Sunday, 3 January 2010
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended that the government immediately set up 'Accreditation Council' to ensure quality education in the country's universities, reports UNB.
The UGC annual report says the standard of university education could not reach the desired level although there has been an encouraging numerical expansion in the country".
"It is essential to set up an accreditation council to develop and control the standard of university education, keeping pace with other developed countries", the report added.
The UGC has already sent a draft of accreditation council to the Ministry of Education for immediate implementation.
The UGC officials said that the role of the proposed 'Accreditation Council' would be to monitor the curricula of both the public and private universities so that the standard of education in the two sectors did not make asymmetrical difference.
A UGC delegation, led by its Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, recently called on President Zillur Rahman at Bangabhaban and submitted the 35th Annual Report-2008 of the University Grants Commission.
While submitting the recommendations, the UGC delegation urged the government for immediate implementation of its recommendations to improve the standard of higher education.
The report says it is necessary to formulate curricula for the country's universities in line with prominent universities of the developed world alongside providing training to teachers on the emerging education system and other relevant issues.
Describing research as the backbone of university education, the UGC suggested that budget should be enhanced to infuse dynamism into research activities and technological development.
It suggested that the universities should introduce subjects based on science and information technology equipped with modern laboratories for creating skilled manpower and facing the challenges of global competition in the 21st century. "It's also essential to modernize and strengthen the existing labs, research institutes of the country' s universities."
The UGC reports mentioned that academic session in public universities gradually falls behind and students as well as their guardians are facing financial losses due to unexpected session jam. "All concerned, irrespective of party and opinion, should come forward to free the public universities from session jam in the greater interest of students, guardians and above all the country," the UGC recommended.
About teacher-student politics, the UGC suggested that the universities and colleges themselves could take initiatives to introduce a healthy trend of student-teacher politics in their respective institutions.
The UGC suggested that the university ordinances, including that of 1973, should be reformed upholding the concept of autonomy to establish transparency and accountability of teachers, officials and students' activities in public universities.
"Recently, the Commission has observed with concern that public university teachers involved either in teaching or consultancy in other universities (particularly private ones) without plan and control are affecting academic activities in their respective institutions," the report says.
The UGC suggested that the universities should introduce some time-suiting subjects like nanotechnology, biotechnology, nuclear engineering, livestock farming, forestry, fisheries, mineral resources, renewable energy and gas extraction, collection of ocean resources, leather and textile engineering, ceramic, pharmaceuticals, automobiles engineering, marine architecture, marine biology, social science, environmental science and disaster management for creating skilled manpower in the country.
About the standard of education in the country's private universities, the report says the UGC as per the government's directive has prepared Private University Act-2009, which is expected to be passed in parliament soon.
"The UGC firmly believes that enactment of the law would help establish good governance in private universities and ensure quality education by removing concerned people's concern about the exiting indiscipline and irregularities in the private educational institutions," the report says.
The UGC annual report says the standard of university education could not reach the desired level although there has been an encouraging numerical expansion in the country".
"It is essential to set up an accreditation council to develop and control the standard of university education, keeping pace with other developed countries", the report added.
The UGC has already sent a draft of accreditation council to the Ministry of Education for immediate implementation.
The UGC officials said that the role of the proposed 'Accreditation Council' would be to monitor the curricula of both the public and private universities so that the standard of education in the two sectors did not make asymmetrical difference.
A UGC delegation, led by its Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, recently called on President Zillur Rahman at Bangabhaban and submitted the 35th Annual Report-2008 of the University Grants Commission.
While submitting the recommendations, the UGC delegation urged the government for immediate implementation of its recommendations to improve the standard of higher education.
The report says it is necessary to formulate curricula for the country's universities in line with prominent universities of the developed world alongside providing training to teachers on the emerging education system and other relevant issues.
Describing research as the backbone of university education, the UGC suggested that budget should be enhanced to infuse dynamism into research activities and technological development.
It suggested that the universities should introduce subjects based on science and information technology equipped with modern laboratories for creating skilled manpower and facing the challenges of global competition in the 21st century. "It's also essential to modernize and strengthen the existing labs, research institutes of the country' s universities."
The UGC reports mentioned that academic session in public universities gradually falls behind and students as well as their guardians are facing financial losses due to unexpected session jam. "All concerned, irrespective of party and opinion, should come forward to free the public universities from session jam in the greater interest of students, guardians and above all the country," the UGC recommended.
About teacher-student politics, the UGC suggested that the universities and colleges themselves could take initiatives to introduce a healthy trend of student-teacher politics in their respective institutions.
The UGC suggested that the university ordinances, including that of 1973, should be reformed upholding the concept of autonomy to establish transparency and accountability of teachers, officials and students' activities in public universities.
"Recently, the Commission has observed with concern that public university teachers involved either in teaching or consultancy in other universities (particularly private ones) without plan and control are affecting academic activities in their respective institutions," the report says.
The UGC suggested that the universities should introduce some time-suiting subjects like nanotechnology, biotechnology, nuclear engineering, livestock farming, forestry, fisheries, mineral resources, renewable energy and gas extraction, collection of ocean resources, leather and textile engineering, ceramic, pharmaceuticals, automobiles engineering, marine architecture, marine biology, social science, environmental science and disaster management for creating skilled manpower in the country.
About the standard of education in the country's private universities, the report says the UGC as per the government's directive has prepared Private University Act-2009, which is expected to be passed in parliament soon.
"The UGC firmly believes that enactment of the law would help establish good governance in private universities and ensure quality education by removing concerned people's concern about the exiting indiscipline and irregularities in the private educational institutions," the report says.