M M Jasim :
Political identity, not research work, has now become a major criterion for the promotion of public university teachers, although research work is a must for such promotion.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently detected such malpractice and made directives to the universities to stop this in the interest of quality higher education.
The UGC in its report said, “The public universities have not been contributing in research field for many reasons. But it is the prime target of higher education.”
“It is mandatory to promote a teacher on the basis of his or her research work. But the teachers get it on the basis of their political identities, which undermine the research. It should be stopped immediately,” the report observed.
“The government introduced 300 research works under the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Projcet (HEQEP) and allocated Tk 600 crore. It will be excellent initiative if the research is done with much responsibility,” the report said.
It said, “It is true that the government allocates very poor amount of money for the research. But the researchers and their institutions must be sincere and honest.”
“The public universities outside the capital stop their academic and research at 2pm everyday. They are reluctant to do research in the afternoon. It cannot be continued. It will also have adverse impact on the country’s higher education sector,” it said.
The UGC also observed that the authority of the higher education observatory body is poorer than any other countries in the SouthEast Asia region. The UGC has no direct power to take action against any irregularities. It can only recommend to the Education Ministry for action.
A UGC official, wishing anonymity, told this correspondent that many teachers get money in the name of research. But they ultimately cheat with higher education.
“The UGC receives many allegations against the public university teachers that they submitted their research papers and get promotion with the support of top authorities,” he said.
When his attention was drawn to this malpractice, UGC Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan told The New Nation: “It is high time by the Dainik Amar Kagoj, a Bengali daily, where Feni Municipal Mayor Haji Alauddin was present as the president.
The DMP Commissioner claimed that some political leaders used to criticize the law-enforcers’ strategies against militancy and terrorism.
If the radical outfits get political backing, it would be tough to wipe out the militancy in the country, he opined.
“In 1979, radicals returning from Afghanistan tried to build a platform. The militancy is a global problem. The influence of the satellite culture, the social media and the internal politics also prompt the militancy,” the DMP commissioner said.
He regretted for those who criticized the police expedition into the militant dens. With reference to the death of some on-duty force personnel, he said that Police saved the lives of citizens at the cost of their own lives.
Federal Union of Journalists President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Department of Narcotic Control’s (DNC) Director General Salauddin Mahmud, Supreme Court Lawyer Barrister Turin Afroj and the Dainik Amar Kagoj Acting Editor Fazul Haque Bhuiyan were present, among others.
Before it, Awami League Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud accused the BNP-led 20-party alliance of patronizing militancy to serve its ulterior motive. BNP always used to encourage militancy and they killed many AL leaders and workers in the past.
