Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
A number of private universities are on the brink of closure as these higher educational institutions are failing to attract the students despite providing big chunk of waivers and other perks.
The students are the only source of income of the private universities to meet the salaries of teachers, staff, building construction, lab and library expanse and research work.
Education Ministry and University Grants Commission (UGC) said that the entrepreneurs set up the private universities with the aim at providing quality education but this mission is not being achieved for the acute crisis of quality teachers and lab facilities in a number of private universities.
When university authority cannot appoint quality teachers, the junior teachers take classes and examinations and it ultimately affects the standard of education, sources said.
UGC sources said that each department of a university requires either one full professor or one associate professor and three lecturers. However, the department may have part-time teachers but such teachers will not be more than one third of the permanent staff.
When the students don’t find senior teachers in the universities, they don’t like to take admission in those universities because they know if they pursue education in these universities, their education will be affected.
As a result, the private universities which are the non-profitable institutions as per the Private University Act, 2010, are affected financially when students don’t take admission as the universities are solely dependent on the tuition fees of the students.
Being a non-profitable institution, the moneyed people cannot invest in the private universities as they will get no return from here.
Sources said that the condition of the peripheral universities is very serious as they are not getting senior and quality teachers for the remote location and poor remuneration.
The recent visits of UGC to a number of private universities have revealed that these universities don’t have senor teachers and a handful of junior teachers are taking classes and examinations.
Against this situation, the UGC has taken stern action against a number of private universities by stopping the student admission until the required teachers are recruited.
The private universities which have acute shortage of teachers and students are Times University, Bangladesh in Faridpur, First Capital University of Bangladesh in Chuadanga, Britannia University in Cumilla and Cox’s Bazar International University.
The UGC has stopped the student admission for the Britannia University as they have no senior teachers and other facilities for higher studies.
Cox’s Bazar International University does not have senior teachers and impart education by lecturers while First Capital University doesn’t have senior teachers, classrooms and lab facilities and Times University also continuing their education without senior teachers.
Central University of Science and Technology in Dhaka and Bandarban University do not have senior teachers and sufficient students.
The UGC, apex regulatory body of the universities, said that their sudden visit will continue in the upcoming days to see how the university authorities are carrying out the administrative and academic activities and steps will be taken accordingly.
Even UGC has cautionary circular for the students and the guardians to be careful before admission in a number of universities like IBAIS University, Britannia University, Pudra University, European University of Bangladesh, Presidency University, Southeast University, Bangladesh University, Asian University and People’s University.
Currently there are 108 private universities in the country and Ministry sources said there are over 100 more applications for setting up the higher educational institutions.
Sources said that when most of the existing universities are limping what will happen when some other universities will be set up in the upcoming.
The running of a private university is a matter of huge investment. When the investment is low, the quality of education is compromised, which will ultimately be a burden of the society, sources said.
“A number of universities have acute crisis of senior teachers. We repeatedly tell them to fill the posts. But some universities don’t follow the rules. Then we take action like stopping student admission until the requirement is fulfilled,” Md. Omar Faruque, Director of Private University Division told the New Nation on last Thursday.
“Some universities have acute crisis of students. Even students don’t like to take admission in those universities which don’t have senior teachers, lab facilities, and research facilities,” he added.
“As a university requires a huge investment, the entrepreneurs should be more cautious before opening an institution,” he observed.
