AS PER media report, the University Grants Commission has declared illegal the higher education certificates signed by the acting Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of 18 private universities. Such certificates will be treated to the surprise of many as invalid on post facto basis unless and until these were signed by the regular Vice Chancellors of those varsities who will be appointed by the President in his capacity as the Chancellor of all Universities. The UGC Chairman confirmed the development as reported by The New Nation on Thursday saying the certificates of the concerned universities have already been declared illegal. But the degrees have not been cancelled they can be saved having obtained the certificate signed by regular VCs in those varsities. It makes sense, but we must make sure nobody stands to suffer at the end.
What appears highly intriguing is the fact that all those 18 private universities have been running over the years without regularly appointed VC’s by the President and some of these universities even have not a pro-VC and Registrar. Wealthy people linked to ruling party now or in the past own many of them. In fact such disciplinary measures should have come much before. It appears senior faculty members are running those universities when their sponsors are not visibly interested to appoint full time VCs for many reasons including the motive to save cost and make more profit.
It is no secret that public notion is not good about the overall performance of many private universities although some private universities are doing well and students are getting satisfactory education. But in most cases there are also serious allegations of running private universities like private business enterprise. Huge fees are taken and the institutions are run on ad hoc basis with part-time teachers. Lack of proper accommodation, absence of logistic facilities such as libraries and laboratories for experimental studies, rampant indiscipline and quarrel for ownership created a chaotic condition in and around these private universities. They have no campuses of their own and running the academic activities in hired space. In fact they have no right to claim the name of full-time universities but systematically exploiting students who pass out with poor results and fail to get admission in public universities and better private universities.
We know that the government enacted Private Universities Law-2010 to address such indiscipline. The compliance of the law is mandatory by private universities and that means that they have to overcome all such shortcomings. But many private universities did not follow it. So the UGC is taking the remedial measures and we must say it is a good step to bring back discipline and force the non-complainants either to leave or to become regular so long it’s used purely on disciplinary purpose. We can’t allow so-called universities to play foul in offering higher education to our younger generation.
What appears highly intriguing is the fact that all those 18 private universities have been running over the years without regularly appointed VC’s by the President and some of these universities even have not a pro-VC and Registrar. Wealthy people linked to ruling party now or in the past own many of them. In fact such disciplinary measures should have come much before. It appears senior faculty members are running those universities when their sponsors are not visibly interested to appoint full time VCs for many reasons including the motive to save cost and make more profit.
It is no secret that public notion is not good about the overall performance of many private universities although some private universities are doing well and students are getting satisfactory education. But in most cases there are also serious allegations of running private universities like private business enterprise. Huge fees are taken and the institutions are run on ad hoc basis with part-time teachers. Lack of proper accommodation, absence of logistic facilities such as libraries and laboratories for experimental studies, rampant indiscipline and quarrel for ownership created a chaotic condition in and around these private universities. They have no campuses of their own and running the academic activities in hired space. In fact they have no right to claim the name of full-time universities but systematically exploiting students who pass out with poor results and fail to get admission in public universities and better private universities.
We know that the government enacted Private Universities Law-2010 to address such indiscipline. The compliance of the law is mandatory by private universities and that means that they have to overcome all such shortcomings. But many private universities did not follow it. So the UGC is taking the remedial measures and we must say it is a good step to bring back discipline and force the non-complainants either to leave or to become regular so long it’s used purely on disciplinary purpose. We can’t allow so-called universities to play foul in offering higher education to our younger generation.
