Professor Amirul Islam Chowdhury
President, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh :
(From previous issue)
The University Grants Commission’s (UGC) Annual Report is a good source of information and also includes important comments on the sate of affairs of higher education at the university level. The style and content of this report can be improved further to include more areas of discussion such as research publications and research status at the university level and information on student activities.
It is very diffIcult to make a detail literature review because of large number of publications are available in this filed. Since the advent of globalization, a large number of prolific publications are available. However, 1 hope to review some of the leading publications dealing with education in Bangladesh and world in particular. So far Globalization and higher education are concerned I have drawn mostly from Manica’s article included in Ritz’s edited book (Cambridge, 2002).
New Technologies for Education
New technologies have helped the introduction of distance learning. This is also known as Radio/TVs (Radio and Television University)which cater education to a large number of students. They learn through the help of radio and Television and module-based printed books. This distance learning is also known as Open University.
They also maintained teaching station where students can take help from teachers may be once or twice in a week. This innovation was first launched in UK and later copied in India, Pakistan, and in many other countries throughout the world. They serve to deliver credit and on-credit courses aimed at developing various technical competence. This in some countries are called as ‘ elearning’ in China. This is (Open University) quite popular in Bangladesh.
Management of Education and Markets
One must appreciate that management of education whatever may be the level and commercial Product markets are not same. It is more difficult to handle students, faculty, curriculum, syllabus and other related aspects, especially higher education. Each and every student is different with their varieties of needs and aspirations.
Vebten (1857- I 929), a celebrated economist, wrote a book titled Leisure Class. It was published in 1899, what proved to be his most widely read book.
In this book, he used his basic dichotomy to discuss Conspicuous Consumption, Conspicuous leisure, Conspicuous waste, pecuniary culture.
Using this theme Vebten wrote in 1918 on higher education (primarily referring to private university). His work was titled The Higher Learning in America. The subtitled of the book, “A Memorandum on the conduct of Universities by Business Men”, reflects the ceremonial-industrial dichotomy, the theme of the treatise.
Vebten reasoned that “Knowledge is acquired and advanced through the institution of the university when free play is given to idle curiosity and the instinct of workmanship. But universities have become contaminated by the values of the culture, which give a high play to ceremonial behavior and the pursuit of the pecuniary employments.
University policy is under the control of governing boards of trustees who are business people, or politicians or demagogue controlled by business people.
Vebten found it quaint that individuals who have demonstrated their predatory powers by the pursuit of profit should later be expected to know anything about the pursuit of knowledge. He further stated as below:
Indeed exception for a stubborn prejudice to the contrary, the fact should be readily seen that the boards are of no material use in any connection; their sole effectual function being to interfere with the academic management in matters that are not of the nature of business, and that lie outside their competence and outside the range of their habitual interest (Veeblen, Thorstein Bunde Bebten: The Higher Learning in America (Stamford: Academic Reprints, 1954, p. 6).
Section IV : Bangladesh
Difficulties about the Medium of Instruction
Bangladesh follows a complex system of education. Teaching is done at least in three different languages: Bangia, English and Arabic.
Most of the teachers in higher education level complain about the poor English and Mathematics.
English still continues as the ‘Dominating Academic Language’ and probably stays as an international language of communication; an impact of Globalization. If the students display this level of poor skill in both English (especially students coming from Bangia medium) and Mathematics, it will be difficult for our students to achieve international competitive. Some universities in private sector in order to meet this problem has introduced three English courses in the very first semester; whether they come from English mediwn or Bangia medium has to take these three course; giving an advantage to the English medium students in getting comparatively better grade.
My observation about students is that ‘as they move to 3rd semester and beyond,’ their English shows improvement’ and keeps on improving.
That needs to be taken into consideration before making any change. I am still waiting for that day when the main medium of instruction would be Bangia with special courses in English-reading, writing and spoken.
Mathematics (also Econometrics and statistics) is another medium for understanding quantitative aspects of each discipline needs to be seriously handled and design. Can UGC do some serious exercise in this direction?
Teaching the History of Bangladesh
It should be mandatory for all students, does not matter which Faculty s/he belongs. This course should be well designed. Some of the universities teach this course. Some complain the lack of availability of text-book in this regard. Even before the Text-book written by Professor Muntasir Mamoon for the National University, some research books were written such as Making of a Nation : Bangladesh-An Economist’s Tale by Nurul Islam (UPL, 2003); ‘A History of Bangladesh by Willem Van Schendel, (Cambridge, 2009); Bangladesh:
Politics, Economy and Civil Society by David Lewis, (Cambridge 2011); Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Ashamaptha Atamajibani (UPL, 2012) in Bangia, (English Translation is available and done by Fakhrul Alam) and scores of book written on Sheikh Mujib, the father of the nation, such as Sheikh Mujib by S A Karim:
Triumph and Tragedy (UPL, 2005); Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Syed Badrul Ahsan : From Rebel to Founding Father (Niyogi Books, 2014, Delhi); on war of liberation in the last one and half decades such as Duisho cheshattiya Dinayat Shadinha by Nurul Quadir (1997), English version is also available (2004). The Blood Telegram; India’s Secret War in East Pakistan by Gary J Bass, (Vintage Books Random House, India); Liberation and Beyond: Indo-Bangladesh Relations by J N Dixit, (UPL, 1999); 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh, by Srinath Raghavan, (Permanent Black, 2013, India); Challenging the Injustice of Poverty: Agendas for Inclusive Development in South Asia by Rehman Sobhan, (Sage, 2013); From Two Economies to Two Nations: My Joumey to Bangladesh (Daily Star 2014); Surrender at Dacca : Birth of a Nation by Lt General J F R Jacob, (UPL, 1997); Bittersweet Victory : A Freedom Fighters Tale by A Qayyum Khan (UPL, 2013); Bangladesh Sarkar, 1971 by A H T Imam in Bangia (Agami Prakashani, 2004); Bangladesh: Quest for Freedom and Justice by Kamal Hossain, (2013, UPL, Dhaka); Tajuddin Ahmad: Neta 0 Pita; by Sharrnin Ahmad in Bangia (UPL, 2014) and Sheikh Mujib Amar Pita by Sheikh Hasina in Bangia (Agami Prakashani, 2015); Rehman Sobhan’s Untranquil Recollections: The Years of Fulfilment (SAGE, 2015). Also are available some relevant publications on economy by BIDS to name a few.
I am teaching this course for the last five years which is divided into two courses: one Bangladesh Studies and the other one as Socio Economic History of Bangladesh. I am sure most of the Universities now have taken this seriously.
Accreditation Council Act
UGC has suggested to the Government of Bangladesh to pass an Act for Accreditation Council. It is interesting to note that no such council exists in the United States and also in the United Kingdom.
They have some system of ‘accreditation’ which are not mandatory; no compulsion. Here in Bangladesh it is going to be compulsory. I would suggest there can be an accreditation system but should not be compulsory in a society which is highly politicized. Compulsion will take away innovation in teaching, designing and management.
More than one campus
Another important point the UGC and Government may rethink! What is wrong for a University to have more than one campus in metro cities? It is there in many cities where land is very difficult to buy from open market.
Conclusion: Let us all who are involved in Higher education in Bangladesh should remember time and again a question that was asked in 2010 but may not be for the last time. It reads as follows: “As the price of cOllege/University continues to outpace both inflation and the growth of average family incomes, students, parents, and policy makers are demanding to know just what families are getting for their money. The short unsettling answer is no one really knows”.
(Concluded)
