Higher Education in the 21st. Century Bangladesh

Introduction:				necessary to create cadre of Muslim experts who
The UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education,				would develop sophisticated writings and textbooks on
held in Paris in 1998, recognized quite emphatically the				Islamic teachings for the non-Arab Muslim populations.
importance of education and particularlyly higher				This was the beginning of madrasa system of
education for sustainable endogenous development,				education, the centre of learning the initial purpose of
for democracy and peace, for strengthening				which was to preserve religious conformity through
defense of peace as one of the human values,				uniform teaching of Islam for all. The early madrasas
and for the respect and protection of human rights and				taught jurisprudence, medicine, astronomy, architecture,
fundamental freedom. The far reaching changes now				philosophy, science and public administration.
taking place in the world and the entry of human				During the seven hundred year rule of the Ottoman
values into a society based on knowledge and				Turks (13th to 20th century) madrasa system of
information, reveal how overwhelmingly important				education spread all over the Muslim World and in
education and higher education are.( UNESCO 2001,				areas where believers in the religion resided. When
p.1). A renewal of higher education is essential for the				Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages of the
whole society to be able to face up to the challenges				Medieval Period, these madrasas in many places were
of the twenty-first century and to ensure its				the only places where knowledge was created,
intellectual independence. Quality higher education				practiced and learned.
needs to be restored to create and advance				In the eleventh and twelfth century, madrasa
knowledge, educate and train responsible, enlightened				system of education went through radical
citizens and qualified specialists, without whom no				transformation and two types of education evolved.
nation can progress economically, socially, culturally or				The first one was scholastic theology to produce
politically.				spiritual leaders, and secondly earthly knowledge to
The Global scenario of socio-economic development is				produce government servants who would be
changing while knowledge supplants physical capital as				appointed in various countries and regions of the
the source of present (and future) wealth. Technology				Muslim World. Numerous madrasas were established
is the driving force behind this process. Information				in addition to providing Islamic knowledge imparted
technology, biotechnology and other innovations are				secular education in the field of science, philosophy and
leading to remarkable changes in the way we like to				public administration and governance. The early
work.				madrasas produced renowned scholars and
As knowledge becomes increasingly important, so				philosophers who contributed to earthly secular
does higher education. Countries need to educate				knowledge too. Unfortunately when Europe was
more of their young people to reach a global standard.				reawakening (Renaissance) in the 14th and 15th
The quality ofknowledge generated within higher				century the Muslim empires started to crumble and the
educational institutions and its accountability to the				Muslims themselves got involved in political rivalries and
wider economy is becoming increasingly critical for				intrigues. The Muslim scholars began to shun the pursuit
national competitiveness. This poses a serious				of knowledge and go back to the basics. Rational
challenge to the countries of the developing world like				science was abandoned.
Bangladesh many of whom are undergoing a rapid				The post Industrial Revolution in England witnessed the
transformation in all fronts, and are keenly striving to				expansion of the British empire and the English Crown
become a member of the global community of				taking control of many of the territories in the Middle
modern nations.				East and the Indian sub-continent up to the islands of
Objectives of the Paper:				Malaya and Indonesia. With the colonization came a
A) Trace the evolution of different facets of				new modern system of education. Unfortunately it
institutional systems of higher education in Bangladesh.				was the social elites who had access to such modern
B) Find out the governance, management and				education and the poor section of the people were left
administrative problems of higher education.				to the madrasa system which was suffering from
C) Suggest areas of action that need immediate				total stagnancy. An education system which produced
attention.				scholars, scientists and philosophers began to regularly
Methodology:				churn out half-educated Mullahs whose learning and
A) Use of secondary published sources				teaching revolved only around the Holy Quoran devoid
B) Interview of persons involved in planning and				of any analysis and scientific interpretation.
updating higher education.				The first educational institution established by the East
The evolution of higher education system in Bengal:				India Company in India was Calcutta Madrasa in 1781.
The English developed a system of higher education in				This was done by Governor General Warren Hastings
colonial India offered through the colleges which				on the request of the Muslim elites. From then onward
basically created only writers or ‘munshis’ as				education, secondary or higher, went on two different
they were commonly known. Their skill revolved				direction–one religious, where medium of instruction
around record and accounts keeping and drafting of				was Arabic, Persian and Urdu and the other one
documents. Till the early nineteenth century the				western, liberal, taught in English and Bangla. While the
emphasis was on the learning of Persian language in				latter emerged as the education of the middle class
most of the schools and colleges as the official				and upper class the madrasa system catered to the
language of governance was Persian. As more English				poorer section of the society. In most cases food and
speaking Company servants arrived from England,				lodging for a madrasa student was free. Though the
Persian, the official language began to loose				British tried to introduce some modernism in the
importance. This was when the Calcutta Hindu College				madrasa education and introduce English and Bangla
(1816) was established. This was the first Asian College				into the system the Muslim elites never responded to
established to impart western education on the				such an attempt with the belief that English was the
‘natives’. The establishment of Calcutta Hindu				language of the infidels (mushrik) and Bangla belonged
College not only ushered in the western system of				to the Hindus.
education in Bengal but was also one of the first steps				After the failure of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, Muslims
taken to impart modern education in this part of the				in India were divided in their opinion on how to improve
sub-continent. However, the declared policy of the				the general condition of the wretched Muslim
East India Company when it came to education was				community. One groups argued that the Muslim of the
to create a class of loyal servants to work in offices				sub-continent should stick to the basics and shun
of the English rulers. In 1835 the Chairman of the				everything that they considered western including the
Education Committee of the East India Company				study of modern science, logic, philosophy and
Thomas Rabington Mackle while delivering on the				language ( English). To further their cause they
objective of adopting English as a medium of				established the ‘Darul Ulum Deoband” in Uttar
instruction in some schools emphatically said ‘the				Pradesh, India in 1863. The other group led by
objective was to create a class of people Indian in				enlightened people like Sir Syed Ahmed who
blood and color but English in taste, in opinions, in mind				advocated that to match the march towards the
and in intellect.’ (Sharfuddin 1996, p.6)Towards the				overall progress of the west Muslims must rediscover
beginning of the nineteenth century the Jesuit priests				themselves and get back to the practice of modern
also played a very important role in the				science and knowledge and learn English. To further
transformation of the education system in India.				their cause they established Muhammadan
Schools established by Christian missions started to				Anglo-Oriental College in 1875 later to become Aligarh
emerge in different parts of India. Initially they catered				Muslim University. This ushered an era of clear
to the education needs of Christian converts, where				bifurcation of ‘Muslim Brand” of education in the
teaching of the Bible was given a priority. One thing				Indian Sub-continent which continues to a great extent
must be remembered here: that the dividend from				even to the present day.
these developments were rather enjoyed more by the				The Calcutta Madrasa was renamed as Aleya
Bengalis of the western part of Bengal than those				Madrasa and concentrated on teaching of Muslim Law
from the east and the irony was that it was the Hindus				and jurisprudence instead of an all round progressive
who took advantage of the availability of Hindu				education for the Muslims. All efforts to modernize the
College. Muslims unfortunately shied away from				madrasa education by the British failed and in 1910 the
western or higher education and held on to the				British divided the madrasa education system into two
traditional religious schools and madrasas (discussed				branches, the Old Scheme madrasa Education and the
later).				New Scheme madrasa education. This represented
The history of modern higher education in Bangladesh				separation of secular education for the upper middle
may be traced back to the establishment of Dhaka				class elite and basic unresearched religious education
University in 1921. The establishment of Dhaka				for the poor. (Tiffany p.2)). The government took over
University was considered an imperial concession				the administration of the New Scheme System and
made to appease the adverse feelings of the Muslim				the Old Scheme System was primarily left to the
middle class of East Bengal following the annulment of				Mullahs. The New Scheme System later on came to
the partition of Bengal in 1911, which resulted from the				be popularly known as Aleya Madrasa and the
movement of protest led by the more privileged				second variety that that remained outside the purview
Hindu Community. Quite a few post secondary				and control of the government took the name of
schools and colleges existed before the				quomi madrasa. A Madrasa Education Board was
establishment of Dhaka University. However, entry and				established in 1949 to regulate the course of studies
education in these schools and colleges were often				and conduct examinations. These madrasas received
limited to middle class or the upper middle class				government funding while the quomi madrasas were
children while children from lower income or lower				neither controlled by the government nor received any
middle class backgrounds often could not enter the				government funding. They received funding from
educational institutions imparting even basic primary				private donation from home and abroad and all
education. Parents and guardians either could not				attempts to bring them under government control
afford to send their children to school or thought it				failed.
more wise to engage their children in helping them in				When Bangladesh became independent in 1971
their profession, mostly as agricultural laborers.				Bangladesh had around 1000 aleya madrasas. These
Practically all schools were established by the wealthy				madrasas teach science, history, agriculture, biology,
‘zemindars’ (the land owners) and were				English, Bangla besides religious education. The majority
founded on religious practices. Lessons on the				of the graduates of the aleya madrasa system
matters relating to religious belief, mostly Hinduism and				pursues higher education in universities or join the job
Islam were given priority. There were schools of				market while the graduates of the quomi madrasas
other faiths as well, though their number would be				ends up being ‘Imams’ or ‘Muazzens’ in
much less. The teaching method encouraged				mosques or teaches in quomi madrasa. With their level
memorizing and there were no room for creative				of knowledge and quality of education and skills they
learning or thinking.				are unable to make any meaningful contribution to the
The Sepoy Mutiny (the first Indian War of				normal economic life of the country.
Independence) is seen as a turning point in Indian social				At present Bangladesh has about 9200+ aleya
history. After the mutiny was suppressed the				madrasa where 34,53,00 (all levels) students study
governance of India passed from the Company to the				whereas no credible statistics are available relating to
Crown. The new English government in India thought				the quomi variety of madrasa education. (GOB -2006.
wisely that to avoid incidences like the mutiny of the				p. 364) Though the leaders of quomi madrasas claim
sepoys there has to be more meaningful integration of				there are around 5 million students studying in 15000
the white ruling class with the people of India. They				quomi madrasas of the country controlled by at least
believed the separation of the general people from the				13 bodies or persons. (Daily Star, 2005)Learning in
rulers should be narrowed and institutional facilities				these madrasas are by rote. There is no scope for
should be provided to the people in different spheres				critical thinking or analysis. They have no access to
of their life, education being an important one. In 1857				any form of IT and most of the quomi students are
the University of Calcutta along with those in Bombay				not allowed to read newspapers or watch TV.
and Madras were established with London University				Mathematics is totally unknown to them and teaching
as the model. In those days London University only				and learning in mostly done in Urdu and Arabic.
conducted examinations. Before the establishment of				Today twenty percent of students in educational
Calcutta University there were a few intermediate				institutions are in madrasas (both variety) and the
colleges in East Bengal. Later most of such colleges				government expenditure in madrasa education in
were upgraded as degree colleges and affiliated				higher than the mainstream public education. Since the
with Calcutta University, viz; Chittagong College in				1980s the number of madrasa has been increasing
1869, BM College in Barisal in 1884, Sylhet MC College				faster than the mainstream educational institutions.
in 1892. When the partition of India took place in 1947				Between 1999-2005 while the number of secondary
practically all major districts of Bengal had a higher				and higher secondary educational institutions increased
secondary school and college and side by side with				by 16 percent the registered madrasa increased by
other religious schools.				27.9 percent (GOB 2006. p. 364). To further
Independent Bangladesh				complicate the existing education scenario in
When Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation				Bangladesh, the immediate past Four Party Alliance
in 1971, the country had four general universities (Dhaka,				government of the country declared that the Fazil and
Rajshahi, Jahangir Nagar and Chittagong) and two				Kamil degrees given by the madrasas would be
specialized universities ( Bangladesh University of				considered as equivalent to degrees of Bachelor and
Science and Technology-BUET, and Bangladesh				Masters of general universities and the quomi
Agricultural University-BAU).				madrasa degrees would also be recognized by the
Today Bangladesh has 25 public universities where				government. This would simply mean such graduates
12,41,352 regular students study at different levels from				would be eligible for all types of public and private
undergraduate to post-graduate. This includes those				sector jobs having no basic skills needed for such
studying in 1175 affiliated colleges ( 8,55,744) under the				jobs.
National University. (UGC. 2006. p 130). There are				The Road Ahead:
also 51 professional Colleges (Medical, Dental, Law,				Three and half decades earlier when Bangladesh
Polytechnic etc) where 82,000 students study. (GOB,				emerged as an independent nation it was still a country
Statistical Pocket Book. 2006)				dependent on agriculture. Agriculture produced about
To enter a university or a degree college one has to				60 percent of the countries GDP and bulk of its labor
complete 12 years of high school studies. Entry into all				force relied on agriculture for their livelihood. During the
public universities is highly competitive and the ratio of				eighties and nineties, Bangladesh, has seen an
intake to admission seekers is 1:65. Very often the				incredible transformation of its economy and society. It
students do not get the subject of their choice. The				has done well in the management of natural disaster,
curricula of the public universities spread over basic				sanitation, population control, women empowerment
science, humanities, engineering, agriculture and social				and literacy enhancement. However it could not assure
sciences. The medium of instruction is usually				development and sustenance of a good higher
bilingual-Bangla and English. Education in the public				education system for its people. In 1971 the new born
universities of Bangladesh is heavily subsidized. The				country inherited a system of higher education which
entire development budget and approximately 90				primarily functioned in dual mode. The general and
percent of the recurring budget of public universities				technical and vocational education was imparted
comes from the government exchequer. On an				through colleges, institutes and universities and were
average, recurring expenses in public universities are				controlled by the government. The government
Taka 37,000 per student per year and the total				through its agencies and ministries monitored the
collection from fees and charges per student per year				development, management and progress of this
is less than Taka 1000 ( UGC, 2006, p.131). However				education. Both English and Bangla were used as
budged allocation for public universities is grossly				mediums of instruction in these institutions of higher
inadequate. All public universities operate from their				learning. Texts and reading materials had both local
own campuses, built on land allocated by the				and foreign origin and research in most cases were
government, utilities are highly subsidized and salaries				minimal. The system suddenly received a jolt
of teaching and non teaching staff are relatively low.				immediately after the independence of the country
No taxes are levied on them and the salaries paid to				when the government without any prior preparation
all types of employees are tax free.				announced that imparting of higher education would be
Plan of study at public universities and colleges:				in Bangla. By the time this decision was reversed in the
The general public universities and colleges receive				mid eighties a generation of graduates went through a
students from four streams of high school sources.				process of such a system as no quality books and
They are a) Humanities b) Science c) Commerce d)				references were available in Bangla that could be used
Madrasa system. A student passing from humanities				for higher education and as such an acceptable quality
and commerce can take undergraduate course in the				in higher education could not be maintained. During this
subjects relating to humanities and commerce. A				period the country also experienced a development
science graduate can enter undergraduate studies in				where many children of the affluent or upper middle
any subject. In colleges affiliated to National University				class left the country for education –be it in the
the students at the entry level normally faces less				primary or tertiary level. Some went to good schools
competition than they would experience in the public				some to below average ones. Capitalizing on this
universities. Again the intensity of competition between				phenomenon some private entrepreneurs started a
the public and private colleges differs. However, the				new venture of offering education both in the higher
quality of education in almost all of the affiliated				and lower level. In the meantime, the country also
colleges are far low from the desired level, the primary				gradually shifted its focus for economic development
problem being the absence of qualified teachers and				from agriculture to manufacturing and service sector.
infrastructural support. The financial benefits currently				Because of this shift and gradual trickle of local and
offered to teachers, whether in colleges or public				foreign investment in the private sector, the demand
universities are far from satisfactory.				for graduates with basic skill and knowledge in English
Most of the specialized universities or colleges only				and IT started to grow. The centers of learning both in
cater to the needs of science students excepting few				the higher and the lower section realized this, saw
like Home Economics, Fine Arts, Fashion Design and				opportunity and tried to promote their institutions (both
Leather Technology and Textile Engineering.				schools and universities) where facilities for learning
The emergence of private universities:				English and acquiring skill in IT were available.
A recent addition to the higher education system in				However the ground reality was far from satisfactory
Bangladesh is the emergence of the private				though some did try to keep up to the promise. In
universities. Although private universities existed in other				recent years the country saw the mushrooming of
countries for long, the first private university in				English medium schools and universities, many lacking
Bangladesh did not make its appearance till 1992. A				the minimum facilities for imparting good quality
law titled ‘Private University Act of Bangladesh’				education. Parents, whose real options are limited are
was passed in the National Parliament in 1992 and the				often compelled to send their children to such schools,
first private university of the country, the North South				paying exorbitant fees.
University, started functioning in the same year. Today				The public sector higher education system has its own
the country has 56 such private universities where				embedded problems. It lacks proper funding, pragmatic
approximately 1,24,267 students pursue their studies in				management and required infrastructure and academic
subjects ranging from business to fashion design and				environment. Because of adequate financial and other
media studies.				incentives it has also failed to attract qualified teachers
The promoters of private universities in Bangladesh				and instructors. The lack of funding has stunted the
can be classified into six broad categories:a)				availability of proper research facilities. In the job
Retired bureaucratsb) Successful				market the graduates from the public sector and the
businessmenc) Senior academiciansd)				private sector often face embarrassing situations as
Active/retired politicianse) NGOsf)				their competitiveness differ in many areas. Again the
Combination of some of the above.				private sector education is mostly job oriented where
There are private universities of another category				creation of knowledge is practically non- existent.
operating in Bangladesh: they are the Bangladesh				Besides public and private sector higher education
campuses of some low profile overseas private				system, Bangladesh along with India and Pakistan also
universities and colleges.				has a very strong madrasa system of education that
The creation of private universities can be thought of				produces thousands of graduates. The madrasa
as the outcome of the trend of growing number of				system of education in this part of the world dates
students leaving the country in the eighties. The				back to eighteenth century. As the Hindus and the
primary reasons were the inability of the public				Buddhist had their own education based on religion it
universities in providing enough seats to admission				was logical for the Muslims during this period to have
seekers and the frequent political unrest and campus				their own system of education too. In later years the
problems resulting in unscheduled closure of universities				Hindus and the Buddhists realized the importance of
which prolonged academic sessions. Not only did				integrating their systems with the Western system
university level students leave the country for higher				while the Muslim failed to do so. A section of the
education, there were also thousands of school going				Muslims though tried to reform the education system
children who were admitted to schools in neighboring				of the Muslims and bring about a sense of modernity
India, Singapore and Thailand.				their success was limited as the larger section of the
Education in private universities is expensive as these				Muslim community concluded that anything that is
universities do not receive any financial support from				Western in un-Islamic.
the government but are heavily taxed. They have to				Scrutinizing the prevalent higher education system of
bear the entire recurring and development expenditure				Bangladesh it can be safely concluded that the system
from the fees received from the students. The				is faltering and is in a moribund state. The purpose of
courses offered in practically all private universities are				any higher education system should be to fertilize a
job focused as learners would like to have some				nation’s intellect and provide the milieu out of which
sort of assurance that they will be able to recover				emerge the engineer, the lawyer, the IT professionals
their high educational expenses once they graduates				and researchers. If Bangladesh is to be a partner of
from a private university.				the growing economic power houses of the region the
Objectives and clientele of private universities:				proper creation and dissemination of knowledge must
As mentioned earlier though in public universities the				be given the topmost priority. Under the present
subjects studied were quite varied and diverse, most				system of education this is not possible.
of the enrollment in private universities are still in the				The University Grants Commission, the overseeing
area of business studies. A business graduate is				authority of the universities both public and private, in its
expected to be offered a job before most other				latest annual report published in January, 2007, opined
graduates. This is not unusual. Even in the US the				the quality of education in universities could not be
most popular undergraduate major is still business (90				improved unless the quality of teachers and education
percent), education (8 percent) and health care (7 per				at primary and secondary levels are improved. Nothing
cent). These are all job focused education and				could be more true. Education in the primary and
university education in the US is expensive. (Lind 2006,				secondary level also exist in multifaceted form.
p.4).				There are government and privately owned schools,
In the neighboring India there are 1600 universities,				both Bangla and English medium together with the
institutes and colleges whose main area of education				madrasas. There are colleges and universities both in
and research is business. Most of these institutions are				the private and public sector. The public sector
in the private sector and fees in these institutions is				universities are of recent origin while colleges in the
considerably high. The degree offered by business				private sector have existed for the last hundred
schools in the private universities of Bangladesh				years. High school graduates can also go to technical
happens to be bread-winner for most private				and vocational institutions of higher learning like medical
universities. As previously mentioned education in				colleges, engineering universities and technical colleges.
private universities is expensive and costs are not				Andre Beteille, an eminent sociologist said
subsidized by government. The universities have to				“universities are not only centres of learning,
bear the entire recurring and development expenditure				however badly or well they play their part in
out of the fees realized from the students. In many				transmission and creation of knowledge, they are also
countries, especially in the US, private Universities				social institutions that provide the setting for a very
receive substantial amount of endowment funding				distinctive kind of interaction among men and women
from private benefactors, corporate house and alumni.				and between generations”. (Beteille, 2005, p.1). This
The 20 richest universities in the US (Harvard, Berkley,				is where Bangladesh’s principle provider of higher
MIT etc) both private and public, have endowment that				education – the universities, have failed though the
collectively amount to almost $ 200 billion (Clausen				government pursued a policy of expansion, planning to
2006, p.1). Such practices are practically non-existent in				open new universities converting some of the former
Bangladesh. Sources of funding other than students				technical into technical universities. However, maintaining
fees have yet to be explored in most private				the quality of the academic programs in the universities
universities.				as well as colleges remained a continuing challenge.
Besides business the other courses offered by the				The private universities have emerged in response to
private universities usually includes computer science,				the failing of the public system but they were not
telecommunication, engineering, law, pharmacy,				intended to be an alternative to public universities. They
architecture, English and development studies. One				can play only a complementary role and fill a gap in the
university offers degrees in medicine while two others				country’s tertiary education system. The basic task
in creative arts, fashion and media studies. One				of creation and dissemination of knowledge in the field
university besides offering the usual courses also				of liberal arts, humanities, basic sciences, social
offers courses in Islamic theology.				sciences medicine etc. will remain primarily the domain
Recruitment, development and retention of faculty				of the public universities.
members:				Bangladesh’s higher education can be classified into
The recruitment of faculty members in institutions of				the following system:a) College system
higher learning in Bangladesh comes in many forms				–both public and private. One could graduate from
and shapes. The private colleges usually recruits their				colleges with a Masters degree though most colleges
teaching staff either through advertisements or other				still lack proper funding, academic and administrative
informal means. Recruitment in public colleges is done				facilities.b) The university system – both
through the Public Service Commission and is				public and private. With the establishment of Dhaka
competitive. The public universities have their				University in 1921 an new chapter was opened in the
recruitment policies laid down by the statutes and are				history of higher education in Bangladesh. Today there
also very competitive, especially at the entry level.				are twenty five of them in Bangladesh. The number
Though academic performance usually is given				of students in these universities stood at 12,41,352 in
preference over other issues deviations are not rare.				December 2006. The Private universities are of recent
This happens usually to accommodate ‘political’				origin and there are 56 of them. They offer mostly job
candidates. In private universities there is no uniform				oriented courses where 1,24,267 students are enrolled.
recruitment policy. Almost without exception all senior				The public university system in this part of the
level positions are filled in by teachers from public				sub-continent originated in 1921. In global ranking,
universities. For some universities their experience has				none of the universities of Bangladesh could find a
been invaluable for these private universities. Some				place for itself. The Spain based Webometrics
have tried recruitment of senior teachers from non				Ranking of world universities in their report published in
resident Bangladeshis or even foreigners. Normally the				January 2008 put Bangladesh University of Science
senior level positions in many of the private universities				and Technology in the 3969th position out of 4000
carry high financial benefit. This has caused quite a high				universities ranked.c) The madrasa system of
turnover in some public universities especially in				education is growing at a rapid speed and offering
subjects like business, economics, English, pharmacy,				courses most of which is of no use for modern day
mathematics, architecture, law and computer sciences.				economic and development activities.
At the entry level there is no standard procedure for				Action Priorities:
recruitment in public universities. Some practices				Students in Bangladesh may complete with students
recruitment through public advertisements and formal				from the more developed countries and do well. The
interviews and presentation, other recruits just through				university faculties in Bangladesh are often able to
negotiation. Though the teachers who gets recruited				demonstrate their ability to conduct world class
through Public Service Commission gets some sort of				research. But these are individual efforts rather than
training after they have completed two to three years				the outcome of a system that is properly planned,
of teaching, there is no laid down policy for training and				adequately resourced and functioning effectively.
development of teachers either in the public or private				The systemic and far-reaching changes in governance,
universities. Whatever development happens to a				administration and academic affairs needed in
teacher at the university level, especially in public				university education in Bangladesh call for attention on
universities, this happens through availability of local				a priority basis to some key areas indicated in this
and international scholarships (UGC, Commonwealth,				paper. These include clearer articulation of policy,
Ausaid. Ford Foundation, ICSSR etc.) for pursuing				improved governance and management, and
higher degrees. For the teachers in the private colleges				adequate provision for and better use of financial
training and development is practically non existent.				resources.i. Articulations of higher education policy
The problem of availability of proper qualified and				The goals, priorities and strategies in higher education
experienced faculty members is becoming extremely				and strategies for achieving the defined outcomes in
acute, both in the public and private universities. This is				the context of the 21st. century global market, the
simply the issue of demand and supply. Bright				knowledge economy and national aspirations and
graduates are not inspired to enter the				values must be articulated and delineated clearly. This
teachingprofession especially in the public universities,				is not a one-shot affair and requires a mechanism
primarily because the financial benefit are too meager.				involving major stakeholders to continue focus on
In case of private universities the problem is different.				policies, priorities and their implementation.
Most of the founders of private universities do not				The structure and content of higher education
have first hand practical experience about the running				curricula and teaching-learning practices the balance
of an educational institution like a university. They are				between specialized and general liberal arts education,
unable to comprehend the real life scenario of this				the complementarities of public and private providers
sector. Some try to run their universities as				of higher education, and the links between primary,
government offices, others as their another business				secondary and tertiary stages of education should be
concern or another NGO outfit. Some have tried to				important elements of policy consideration.
enforce 9-5 office hours. The attrition rate of faculty				Madrasa education in Bangladesh is a historical reality.
members in private universities is high. This is in part				Though it has failed to serve the national development
because in many private universities the overall work				purpose in any meaningful it would not be possible
environment is not attractive due to unwise and				to write it off in near future. The government has to
impractical management decision and practices.				just continue to motivate, the teachers and
Management issues:				administrators highlighting the benefits of restructuring
(a) Public Universities: Public universities are				the system and updating its age old curricula. Sporadic
managed and governed by Actsand Ordinances				attempts were made at times to modernize the
made by the government. Four Universities (DU, RU,				madrasa education system in the country but these
JU and CU) are run under the separate University				have consistently failed. The main opposition were
Acts of 1973. The spirit of these Acts reflects the				from madrasa leaders and they even threatened
intention to protect the autonomy of the country’s				‘Jihad’ if the government tried to bring about
highest seats of learning. Through the formation of a				any reforms in their system, especially to the quomi
democratically elected university senate, syndicate and				variety. No reform will be possible through force.
other statutory bodies, the university administration				Attempts should be made to make people involved in
was expected to be made accountable to the				madrasa education understand the positive side of
university community itself, rather than subservient to				introducing skill development courses in the system. In
the government or the party in power. The University				neighboring India the number of madrasas is estimated
Grants Commission (UGC) was also created in 1973				to be between thirty to forty thousand. Except in
as a buffer between the government and the				some parts of Kerala and West Bengal these
universities. The 1973 University Acts replaced the old				madrasas cater strictly to Muslim children. In West
University Acts which were seen as giving the				Bengal the madrasa education has gone through a
university administration unbridled powers to press				transformation, though small but very significant.
academic freedom. However these Acts were not				Madrasas in West Bengal and Kerala have introduced
fully implemented until the early 1990s as the				modern education, including English, basic science, IT
successive military and quasi military governments				and in some even Sanskrit. In 2007 five thousand six
after the coup in 1975 were uncomfortable with				hundred and sixty six non Muslim students studied in
autonomy and academic freedom of the universities				the madrasas of West Bengal which increased to six
granted by the Acts. Though some provisions of these				thousand six hundred and ninety two in 2008. This
Acts needs review, all governments at different times				primarily happened as the graduates of madrasas in
continuously kept on flouting these laws and tried to				West Bengal found it possible to enter main stream
interfere in the running of the universities to suit their				job market with education form the madrasas. The
political needs				madrasa (especially those of quomi variety) should be
1. Each of other universities have their own Acts				exposed to such developments happening in our
Ordinances/and Statutes. Mostof these Acts are				neighboring country.
made such that the government has tight control over				A total integration of the multi-faceted institutional
therunning of these universities.				system of higher education is neither possible nor
(b) Private universities: Private universities are				practical under the present circumstances. Bangladesh
managed under the Private University Act 1992. These				is not the only country having such a system. The
universities are not completely outside government				issue is whether such a system is capable of
control. The top administrative and academic positions,				producing people who would be able to lead the
including that of the vice-chancellor, are formally				country into a modern knowledge based 21st.
appointed on the recommendation of the governing				century. This is where all efforts will have to be
body of the respective university, by the President of				concentrated.ii. Governance management and financing
the country, who is statutorily the Chancellor of all				of higher education
universities. The government is in the process of				Policy-making for higher education must be completely
reviewing this act to have more control over the				depoliticized. The focus must be on the overreaching
private universities. It is believed that such a process is				goals of maintaining quality norms and protecting
on the way as quite a few private universities were				academic freedom in higher education.
identified running their academic and administrative				Till recent times UGC was an organization that was
functions without ensuring minimum acceptable				unable to perform its task as a proper overseeing
standard.				body because of its over politicization. It has to be
(c) Colleges: All degree colleges are affiliated				turned into an effective and genuinely autonomous
under the National University which oversees the				body that would be able to initiate policy discourse.
academic matters while the administrative issues are				Norms of quality and performance criteria of
dealt separately by the Ministry of Education or in the				institutions, specialized fields of study and research,
case of private colleges by the respective governing				teacher and student performance and mechanisms
bodies of such colleges.				for enforcement of standards and criteria must be
Erosion of standard and norms:				established. It has also to be recognized that quality
The erosion of ethical standards and norms in higher				assurance in higher education is possible only through
education, governance and management that began in				greater self-regulation, peer review and internal
the 1970s after the military took over the state power				accountability, and transparency in decision-making.
became more widespread and institutionalized in later				Less than two percent of the education budget is
years. As soon as a new government assumed				allocated for higher education in Bangladesh. This has
power, it became common practice in the public				to be increased significantly. Expenditures in higher
universities to replace the duly elected and appointed				education must be conceived as investment for
Vice-chancellors with persons regarded as loyal to the				human capital development rather than expenditure.
party in power. The transfer of college principals and				Such increase in allocation can only assure a
teachers on political consideration is quite widespread.				continuous supply of proper human resource to make
In some private universities infighting and feuding				Bangladesh a competitive nation.
amongst the founders for control of the university is				Bangladesh is positioned between two emerging
common. There were instances where some went to				titans of the 21st century – China and India. Her
court to settle such issues as to who will become the				geopolitical positions confronts Bangladesh with great
Vice chancellor and others have tried using students to				challenges and opportunities , if she proves capable of
serve their purpose.				accepting the challenges and seize opportunities.
Madrasa education:				Development of a system of higher education that
One of the oldest form of institutional education in the				meets the quality standards of the 21st century is the
Muslim world has been the madrasa system of				desired road to fulfillment of the potential of our young
education. Currently madrasas have entered the higher				people and prosperity for the nation.
education system of Bangladesh. Madrasas were				References
originally places of worship or Khanqas that later				1. Beteille, A. (2005). “Universities as Public Institutions,
developed into ‘maktabs’ which taught Quran				“ Economic and Political Weekly, July 30, 2005.
recitation and Islamic rituals. Madrasas were formed as				1. UNESCO (2001). Higher Education in Developing
sites of Islamic theological education.( Tiffany p.1)				Countries-Peril and Promise. Paris: UNESCO
Islam’s Prophet (SM) gave topmost priority on				1. UGC (2006) Annual Report of the UGC 2006.
seeking knowledge and for hundreds of years since				Dhaka: Bangladesh University Grants Commission.
the days of the Prophet, seeking knowledge was an				1. GOB. Statistical Pocket Book. 2006. Bangladesh
integral part of Islamic tradition.				Bureau of Statistics, Planning Division, Ministry of
In the period when the Arab Muslims did not have the				Planning.
skill to either write or read, would memorize the verses				1. Sharfuddin, A.M (1996). Amadder Shikkha Kon
from the Holy Quran. During the life of the Prophet the				Pathey. Dhaka: University Press Limited.
interpretation was left to the Prophet. After his death,				1. Lind, M. (2006). “Why the Liberal Arts Still
Muslim scholars, most of whom were the disciples of				Matter.” The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 30 No. 4,
the Prophet and self taught, sought answers in the				Autumn 2006. Washington D.C
sayings and daily life of the Prophet. The mosques				1. Clausen, C. (2006). “The New Ivory
continued to be the centre of learning even after the				Tower,.” The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 30 No. 4,
Prophet’s death. As Islam continued to spread				Autumn 2006. Washington D.C
after the death of the Prophet and other parts of				1. Tiffany, E. (2007). “Madrasas in Bangladesh,”
Arabia and North and West Africa came under the				IPCS Special Report, No. 47, August 2007. New Delhi.
fold of Islamic belief, the belief itself came into contact				1. Daily Star (2005). Madrasas mushroom with state
with other traditions and languages. It became				favour, English Daily, August 04, 2005, Dhaka.

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Higher Education in the 21st. Century Bangladesh