Bringing private universities under closer scrutiny

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We are regularly reading stories in the newspapers about irregularities in the private universities. In fact, there is much allegation against some private universities. These universities usually demand high tuition fees. But their quality of teaching is too poor. What do they do? They flout the rules of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and allure students by false promises. They run with inadequate faculty members, equipment and library and operate from rented premises without having their own campus. Some are claiming to have false affiliations with reputed foreign universities. They are teaching only some marketable courses.

If this is the scenario, we can guess what kind of education they give to our children. May be all the private universities cannot be blamed. The problem is not only with the private universities themselves. We can equally hold the UGC responsible for this. Why was one university after another permitted to run without proper judgement on their abilities to teach? The explosive growth of private universities over the years has not been matched by quality of teaching and facilities.

Sometimes we see the UGC taking steps against some universities. But here develops another problem. The action from UGC comes at a time when thousands of students are already enrolled and have passed several years. With the institutions, the innocent students are also punished. Although it is mandatory for the private universities to move to their own campuses within a specified timeframe, only a few could do so. The UGC imposed ban on the operation of campuses of foreign universities in Bangladesh and warned students that degrees from such campuses would not be recognised. The question is: How could those be established without approval? We saw reports that as the UGC failed, the government asked the concerned administrations to look into the allegations of cheating and illegal operation of foreign universities under some private universities. The administrations have been authorised to close any of such campuses if they find that those were not matching the required standards. This is a good move. But the sudden closure may harm students more than the operators of the illegal campuses. Is there any way to save the education career of those students?

Ahmed Sobhan

Dhanmandi R/A

Dhaka