M M Jasim :Most of the affluent students, who have passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations this year, and their guardians prefer the foreign universities for higher education instead to the country’s private universities. The guardians and the students are of the opinion that the private universities have failed to ensure quality education and to race the world standard education. The authorities also failed to protect the students from being plunged into the militancy activities. Rather they have also promoted it sometimes. The affluent guardians think that they have sufficient money to bear the cost of the higher education of their children in any foreign university. The certificates of the foreign universities are more valuable than the country’s private universities’ certificates and there is no risk to get involved in militancy. They have also alleged that the authorities of the private universities are doing business in the name of higher education. They just cheat with the students as they do not take any step to improve the quality of the students and refrain from the terror activities or drugs. They are busy to increase tuition fees and other expenditure. The country’s several private universities also lost its reputations after finding militancy link while many teachers and students of different varsities became media headline for their involvement in the recent terror attacks especially in Gulshan and Sholakia. Mohiuddin Khan, a businessman of the Gulshan area, said, his son achieved GPA-5 this year’s HSC examination. He first wanted to admit his son to North South University. But he has changed his decision and is sending his son to the USA for higher education. “It will be very difficult to send my only son abroad. But there is no second option as the students are being involved in militancy for the negligence of the university administration. So, I am trying to admit him to any American varsity for the higher education,” Mohiuddin Khan said. Shaon Chowdhury, an admission seeker, told The New Nation that he wanted to take higher education at any reputed private university. But now he wants with all his friends to go abroad. So, he has managed his parents in favour of his decision. Shamim Alam, a guardian, said his daughter will take part in the public universities’ admission tests. If she passes the tests, she will be admitted to public university. Otherwise she will be sent abroad for higher education. UGC Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan told The New Nation, “We have asked the private university authorities to improve their education system. The UGC also requested them to fulfil all the criteria to make the universities world standard. It is very natural that the students will search for the better universities for their higher education.” “Obviously the reputation of the private universities has gone down after publishing reports about the militancy link of the teachers and the students. It is their duty to restore images of the universities,” the UGC Chairman said. He also said that a bad impact has puzzled the guardians’ mind about the private universities. The authorities have to probe that the academic atmosphere of the universities is good and there is no room for militancy here, he said.The UGC sources said that a good number of students go abroad for higher education every year. But the number this year will be almost double. Substandard education is one of the reasons behind the scenario, the sources said. According to the UGC Annual Report-2014, some 1,21,194 students against 2,35,002 seats were admitted to 75 private universities across the country in 2014. A total of 1,29,765 students against 2,14,369 seats were admitted in the private universities in 2013.As per the statistics of the UGC conducted for 2014 and 2013 academic session, many seats of the private university were vacant. A good number of students preferred National University and other colleges for their admission to the private universities. It may be mentioned that a total of 8,99,150 students passed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations-2016. But most of the students will try for public universities and government colleges.
