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Private universities in the doldrums
Oct 4: THERE is a lot of
discussion about private universities…but little has been done to improve them.
The main problem is the flawed law laid out in a hurry in 1992. To make things
worse, the universities did not operate in line with the law.
The
first batch of private universities took off in a better condition. Now many of
them - with so-called outer campuses - just sell certificates. Some private
universities are over-staffed, some are running short of
teachers.
Thousands of students, left out of the race for public
universities, rush to private universities only to get disappointed. The
University Grants Commission, the watchdog of universities, had set up a
committee to clean up the mess. But its recommendations did not work out under
political pressure of a political government.
This year, the caretaker
government stepped in and redesigned the law to shut the 'outer campuses'.
Two-thirds of teachers have to be full-timers. A vice-chancellor must be an
academician with 20 years of experience. A private university has to pay Tk25
crore, up from five crore takas, in reserve against permission for the running
of the campus.
We should keep in mind that many laws were not enforced in
the past. Private universities were built for students who failed to enter
public universities. Many more students would have gone abroad for higher
studies if the system had not been in place. Not everyone can afford it. The
concept of a private university is a noble one. But most of them have failed to
live up to standards. Most are just raking in money. Dawn
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Education News| Updated: 09 Jan, 2009 |
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