Farrukh Khosru :
Two phrases consist of two identical words; just with the change of the position of those words, the meaning alters — lexically and contextually. The words are business and education, and when they are set altering to make sense, they are — either Business Education or Education business. Very unfortunately, these two words are now very synonymous considering the reality of private universities in Bangladesh.
After the collapse of Soviet statehood, with the emergence of corporate capitalism under the guise of neo-liberalism in 1990s, private outlets of higher education in Bangladesh started their journey with huge potential of business in ‘Business Education’. The motto of those universities was mostly business than providing quality education, and they successfully did it without any challenge. Even some universities were engaged in ‘certificate business’ selling degrees without imparting any education. ‘BBA’ and ‘MBA’ were the hot cakes in the era of corporate culture instead of science or social learning. Those private universities took the opportunity of making huge profit with education. The scenario is still almost the same in 2020 in the cases of most private universities.
In the recent time, the most widely discussed topic regarding the private higher education in Bangladesh is their inability of hiring the worthy persons for major vacant posts of the universities including Vice-Chancellors (VCs). Besides, most of them have failed to find permanent campuses.
Though the University Grants Commission (UGC), the sole authority of higher education in Bangladesh, warned those errant private universities to follow the guidelines, but the owners of those private universities ‘in the name of trustee board’ have enough power to show a big thumb to UGC since they are either politically linked with ruling elites, or big businesses who can buy the power at any time from the ruling corner.
Some private universities have Vice-Chancellors, though they are not enough empowered to obey the rules of the UGC; rather they follow the directives given by the Trustee Board. The VCs in the private universities are like the Generals without guns to fight the irregularities. So education is a business there executed in the name of a puppet VC. Trustee Boards behind the screen are political persons or business conglomerates who are in most cases not so educated to run a university. In reality, private universities like private commercial banks are given to some people by the government under political indulgence who are even not worthy enough to maintain a primary school.
However, recruitment of VCs in the recent years in public universities also is not beyond the dispute as in the most cases they are ‘government pick’ under political consideration. In private universities, they are the selections of ‘too powerful trustee board’.
VC is the administrative and academic head of the university, as per the UGC act 2010. In public universities as autonomous entity, VCs can exercise their power to some extent ignoring political pressures especially to manipulate tenders, recruitment, and some few other daily routine works. In case of private universities, VC is mainly an ornamental post, where all power is virtually occupied by the trustee board — be that academic or administrative. Financial activities are also the same, though the Public Universities and Private University Act 2010 has made the universities mandatory to have the VCs and Treasurers for operating administrative and financial activities.
There are more delusions regarding private higher education in Bangladesh. A university having more than 5,000 students should appoint a Pro-VC for the academic activities. Though some universities running privately have more students than the said number, but the mess is that some of them have even no VCs, let alone Pro-VCs.
As per UGC data, 20 private universities are operating without any government-appointed VCs, Pro-VCs or treasurers. Thirty three private universities have no VCs while 23 breaching the Private University Act are operating without the VCs and treasures. Some of those private universities had never appointed a VC since their inceptions.
Sometimes private universities appoint VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers without obtaining any approval form the honourable President — the Chancellor of the Universities — as per law. And most of them do not meet requirements for such posts.
Education minister Ms. Dipu Moni last month asked the leading public universities to send lists of the senior professors along with their bio-data by August 31 to the ministry for selecting from them Vice-Chancellors, Pro-VCs and Treasurers against the vacant posts at public universities and asked the private universities to send their panel lists by September 10. But not enough response to this regard is still on the way. The labyrinth surrounding the private education still haunts in public minds, education experts opined.
However, trustee of a private university blamed the government not to approve candidates against vacant posts of the VC, Pro-VC and Treasurer from the list they had sent. Besides, there is an organization of the owners of private universities, namely Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh, who deem rules and regulations of appointing VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers for the private universities faulty and disconcerting.
Top brass of that so mighty organization in a recent interview published in an English daily claimed, ‘If any agency gives a negative report on any of the three proposed names for VC, Pro-VC or Treasurer, new lists required to be sent. And it is difficult to get so many eligible professors for so many universities.
Refuting all the allegations against the private entities in higher education, he said, ‘instead of pressing the private universities only, the government should appoint VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers at all public universities’.
The fallacies we can’t disregard in ownership of education have surpassed all the limits in private entities of higher education. VC remains as a soldier to carry all the disorder of the so great trustee board. No remedy in sight there so near to hope.
Two phrases consist of two identical words; just with the change of the position of those words, the meaning alters — lexically and contextually. The words are business and education, and when they are set altering to make sense, they are — either Business Education or Education business. Very unfortunately, these two words are now very synonymous considering the reality of private universities in Bangladesh.
After the collapse of Soviet statehood, with the emergence of corporate capitalism under the guise of neo-liberalism in 1990s, private outlets of higher education in Bangladesh started their journey with huge potential of business in ‘Business Education’. The motto of those universities was mostly business than providing quality education, and they successfully did it without any challenge. Even some universities were engaged in ‘certificate business’ selling degrees without imparting any education. ‘BBA’ and ‘MBA’ were the hot cakes in the era of corporate culture instead of science or social learning. Those private universities took the opportunity of making huge profit with education. The scenario is still almost the same in 2020 in the cases of most private universities.
In the recent time, the most widely discussed topic regarding the private higher education in Bangladesh is their inability of hiring the worthy persons for major vacant posts of the universities including Vice-Chancellors (VCs). Besides, most of them have failed to find permanent campuses.
Though the University Grants Commission (UGC), the sole authority of higher education in Bangladesh, warned those errant private universities to follow the guidelines, but the owners of those private universities ‘in the name of trustee board’ have enough power to show a big thumb to UGC since they are either politically linked with ruling elites, or big businesses who can buy the power at any time from the ruling corner.
Some private universities have Vice-Chancellors, though they are not enough empowered to obey the rules of the UGC; rather they follow the directives given by the Trustee Board. The VCs in the private universities are like the Generals without guns to fight the irregularities. So education is a business there executed in the name of a puppet VC. Trustee Boards behind the screen are political persons or business conglomerates who are in most cases not so educated to run a university. In reality, private universities like private commercial banks are given to some people by the government under political indulgence who are even not worthy enough to maintain a primary school.
However, recruitment of VCs in the recent years in public universities also is not beyond the dispute as in the most cases they are ‘government pick’ under political consideration. In private universities, they are the selections of ‘too powerful trustee board’.
VC is the administrative and academic head of the university, as per the UGC act 2010. In public universities as autonomous entity, VCs can exercise their power to some extent ignoring political pressures especially to manipulate tenders, recruitment, and some few other daily routine works. In case of private universities, VC is mainly an ornamental post, where all power is virtually occupied by the trustee board — be that academic or administrative. Financial activities are also the same, though the Public Universities and Private University Act 2010 has made the universities mandatory to have the VCs and Treasurers for operating administrative and financial activities.
There are more delusions regarding private higher education in Bangladesh. A university having more than 5,000 students should appoint a Pro-VC for the academic activities. Though some universities running privately have more students than the said number, but the mess is that some of them have even no VCs, let alone Pro-VCs.
As per UGC data, 20 private universities are operating without any government-appointed VCs, Pro-VCs or treasurers. Thirty three private universities have no VCs while 23 breaching the Private University Act are operating without the VCs and treasures. Some of those private universities had never appointed a VC since their inceptions.
Sometimes private universities appoint VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers without obtaining any approval form the honourable President — the Chancellor of the Universities — as per law. And most of them do not meet requirements for such posts.
Education minister Ms. Dipu Moni last month asked the leading public universities to send lists of the senior professors along with their bio-data by August 31 to the ministry for selecting from them Vice-Chancellors, Pro-VCs and Treasurers against the vacant posts at public universities and asked the private universities to send their panel lists by September 10. But not enough response to this regard is still on the way. The labyrinth surrounding the private education still haunts in public minds, education experts opined.
However, trustee of a private university blamed the government not to approve candidates against vacant posts of the VC, Pro-VC and Treasurer from the list they had sent. Besides, there is an organization of the owners of private universities, namely Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh, who deem rules and regulations of appointing VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers for the private universities faulty and disconcerting.
Top brass of that so mighty organization in a recent interview published in an English daily claimed, ‘If any agency gives a negative report on any of the three proposed names for VC, Pro-VC or Treasurer, new lists required to be sent. And it is difficult to get so many eligible professors for so many universities.
Refuting all the allegations against the private entities in higher education, he said, ‘instead of pressing the private universities only, the government should appoint VCs, Pro-VCs and Treasurers at all public universities’.
The fallacies we can’t disregard in ownership of education have surpassed all the limits in private entities of higher education. VC remains as a soldier to carry all the disorder of the so great trustee board. No remedy in sight there so near to hope.
(Mr. Farrukh is a PhD Fellow, Begum Rokeya University. Email: [email protected]).
