Private universities: Suffering sponsor syndrome?

It is a matter of great regret that most of the private universities face the acute problem of hiring qualified teachers. Due to a shortage of full-time teachers, the private universities have become too dependent on part-time teachers mostly drawn from the public universities. The migration of teachers from the public to the private universities either as part-time or full-time teachers is also jeopardising the academic environment of the public universities in many instances.

The curricula of some selected universities are very scientific and compare well with any modern university. Most of the private universities run their academic programme on the semester system and have introduced four-year undergraduate courses. However, as some of the universities do not have proper teaching strength, the end result may not be very encouraging.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Most of the private universities do not have libraries and computer facilities good enough to cater to the need of their students. The relevant reference books and standard foreign and national journals are hardly found in the libraries of the private universities.

Almost all the private universities of the country face the problem of space and accommodation. Although according to set conditions the private universities are supposed to develop their own campus within five years of their inception, most of the private universities have failed in this respect. The space problem has, in some instances, impeded the infrastructural development needed for the development of a congenial academic environment. Permanent campuses are better because it is through a campus that a university provides a setting for student interaction during some very formative years of their life. This interaction contributes as much to the learning process as the formal instruction.

Some of the private universities have developed a tendency to increase the number of existing departments while their existing departments could not be fully furnished with teachers, books and other necessary teaching materials. A balanced development of the university is absolutely necessary but ill planned and inadequately equipped departments without back-up facilities may be of little use for the promotion of higher education.

The private universities of the country are expected to supplement the public universities and ease the pressure on the public universities for admission. But the enrollment in the private universities hardly fulfils this expectation. This situation is largely attributable to the exorbitant fees charged by the private universities which are not affordable for a large segment of students aspiring for admission to the private universities.

In other words, it can be said that the high cost keeps the students away from the private universities. Education at private universities is exclusive. For this reason, the children of the middle-class or distressed family do not go to public universities. Private universities have therefore failed to a great extent to fulfil the expectation of the government to bring higher education to the common people.

It is very difficult to comment on the quality of education in the private universities. There is no evaluation system for this. Of course, the public universities also do not have any system of quality monitoring. One advantage of the public universities is that they draw good quality students and also good quality teachers. They start from a stronger base. This may not be true for all the private universities of Bangladesh.

One common complaint about the governance of private universities is that it is too personality based. Usually the person who takes the initiative in establishing the private university dominates the administration. In some cases, it is the initiator who virtually runs the university. One may call this the "sponsor syndrome" in the administration. It so happened that at least two of the original initiators or sponsors had to leave their respective university because of the sponsor syndrome. In one particular university, there is a provision, which enables the sponsor to chair the meeting of the academic council. Moreover, it has been noticed that some of the initiators try to control almost all the authorities by putting their own people in different authorities.

One of the objectives of the Private University Law, 1992 was to create skilled manpower for the economic development of the country. To ensure quality education, the law requires that private universities submit a proper academic plan with the guarantee of quality education. Quality education needs quality teachers and quality students. But it is said that some of the private universities do not follow the norms in the recruitment of teachers. On the other hand, some universities advertise on their web-sites for recruitment of teachers. This is definitely a good trend they have set. Lists of teachers need to be sent to UGC on a regular basis.

The UGC should monitor the recruitment of faculty on a regular basis and also should check the number of faculty actually available in the department to teach. The selection committee should be well defined. The UGC can nominate one expert on the selection committee. The UGC should make the procedure for recruiting foreign faculty simple and effective.

On the whole, though, it can be said that some selective private universities have been able to attain the objectives of the Private University Law to a certain extent. Those institutions should be encouraged by the government, the UGC and the community to improve further.

The establishment of private universities has increased access and choice in higher education. If the government comes forward and addresses the issues raised above, we will achieve even better results in the future from the private universities.

Md. Mofazzal Hossain Khan (Swapon) is a student of BCS, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka.