NEWS report on Monday said, not outstanding merits and higher academic track records, most public universities, particularly newly established ones hire lecturers now based on how much one would pay to certain people and on the strength of nepotism and political affiliation bypassing standard recruitment criteria. Most national dailies quoted a study of Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) in their reports which made the disclosure that illegal system has replaced the standard recruitment process which will destroy the quality of higher education to build a knowledge based nation.
It is indeed quite shocking to the nation. The disclosure is bound to cause big demoralization to people having students in such universities and in our view the government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in particular must take quick action either to deny the disclosure with strong public statements or allow neutral bodies to further verify it. We must say if it is true, concerned authorities must be punished and the teachers so recruited must be removed. There should not be any irregularity, which will undermine the nation’s trust in our public universities, which are already beset by many chaos. It may eventually lead more patents to move out their sons and daughters to universities abroad expediting capital flight already at its peak.
We have already a brain drain system when good eligible candidates with higher academic track records are leaving the country because they fail to qualify for the varsity jobs. Incompetent candidates unfairly beat them in most cases to seek jobs abroad. Many best teachers in foreign universities are from Bangladesh now who were denied a place earlier at our universities.
The TIB study report said illegal financial transactions dominated recruitment in eight public universities while nepotism and political loyalty worked in 13 varsities during the period from 2001 to 2016. The unauthorized payment against post of lecturers varied from Tk 3 lakh to 20 lakh however, old public universities have fewer such irregularities than the new ones.
Corruption, irregularities and politicization are recklessly destroying the backbones of our higher education. The report has blamed internal and external stakeholders such as a section of VCs, Pro-VCs, Faculty deans, Departmental or Institutional heads, leaders of Teachers’ Association loyal to the ruling party, registrars’ offices staff and student leaders for the irregularities including realizing unauthorized money.
We must say such indiscipline is not expected from people at the helm of the varsities. They should be above politics instead of being subservient to political parties. They must also show higher moral standard and ethics to build our future. We are seriously perturbed by the disclosure by the anti-graft body. In our view the UGC as the controlling body of universities must have a transparent and comprehensive recruitment policy of teachers that will not allow compromise in any kind.
It is indeed quite shocking to the nation. The disclosure is bound to cause big demoralization to people having students in such universities and in our view the government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in particular must take quick action either to deny the disclosure with strong public statements or allow neutral bodies to further verify it. We must say if it is true, concerned authorities must be punished and the teachers so recruited must be removed. There should not be any irregularity, which will undermine the nation’s trust in our public universities, which are already beset by many chaos. It may eventually lead more patents to move out their sons and daughters to universities abroad expediting capital flight already at its peak.
We have already a brain drain system when good eligible candidates with higher academic track records are leaving the country because they fail to qualify for the varsity jobs. Incompetent candidates unfairly beat them in most cases to seek jobs abroad. Many best teachers in foreign universities are from Bangladesh now who were denied a place earlier at our universities.
The TIB study report said illegal financial transactions dominated recruitment in eight public universities while nepotism and political loyalty worked in 13 varsities during the period from 2001 to 2016. The unauthorized payment against post of lecturers varied from Tk 3 lakh to 20 lakh however, old public universities have fewer such irregularities than the new ones.
Corruption, irregularities and politicization are recklessly destroying the backbones of our higher education. The report has blamed internal and external stakeholders such as a section of VCs, Pro-VCs, Faculty deans, Departmental or Institutional heads, leaders of Teachers’ Association loyal to the ruling party, registrars’ offices staff and student leaders for the irregularities including realizing unauthorized money.
We must say such indiscipline is not expected from people at the helm of the varsities. They should be above politics instead of being subservient to political parties. They must also show higher moral standard and ethics to build our future. We are seriously perturbed by the disclosure by the anti-graft body. In our view the UGC as the controlling body of universities must have a transparent and comprehensive recruitment policy of teachers that will not allow compromise in any kind.
