Higher education policy
Along with proposals on lower levels, the education policy committee put forward reform proposals to improve higher education (HE) as well. But all the policy directives do not seem positive. In this article, I will analyse both the positive and negative aspects of those policy directives.
Extending the duration of usual Bachelor courses to four years for Honours (abolishing the 3-year Pass Degree course), decentralising the National University (NU) with a centre in each division, elevating the Madrassa Education Board (MEB) to the status of an Islamic University (IU) and provision for a full-time education commission are remarkable positive directives.
The first proposal (abolishing 3-year Pass Degree course) would end the age-old problem of Pass Degree holders who have little scope for employment. With the introduction of Honours courses in over 100 bigger colleges, accommodating most of the low-grade HE-seekers (who find themselves incapable of enrollment in universities) wouldn't be a problem. The other benefit of such a uniform Bachelor course would be that most graduates would be inspired to have a Master's degree in the same institution, thus elevating the national status in education.
The second directive (decentralising NU) is an essential one considering the heavy burden of dealing with the huge number of HE students by a centralised single institution. The divisional centers (as proposed) will later turn into affiliating universities for the respective areas. However, another committee on NU reform suggested renaming NU as "National Affiliating University," which is totally pointless; everybody readily knows its affiliating status. The committee also suggested that this university must work only as affiliating colleges for which it was created and should be deprived of its right of awarding higher degrees.
True that the purpose of establishing NU was to affiliate colleges with the aim that the general universities that were doing this job before could be relieved of this extra burden so that they could concentrate on their own business. However, few years back, an attempt was made to elevate the status of NU as a higher seat of learning and research. Some "teachers" (having no scope of teaching) were appointed and the university introduced M.Phil and PhD courses having provisions of scholarship for college teachers to enrich themselves with knowledge and skills aiming at developing better teaching capability. There was nothing wrong in that policy; but some appointments were made based on standards other than merit.
Ensuring only merit-based appointments, NU's status as a centre of excellence must continue (and rather be enhanced further), apart from its coordinating the activities of regional six higher education boards. The central campus in Gazipur can concentrate on training of college teachers through continuing higher studies (M.Phil, PhD).
The third proposal (elevating MEB to IU) is also appreciable because this would deal with the proposed modernisation of madrassa education as well as with issuance of certificates for higher degrees in Islamic education. Some critics put a counter proposal of elevating the Aliya Madrassa to that status. I find nothing wrong in either of the options.
The fourth directive of establishing a full-time education commission is not only applicable to HE but also to the education system as a whole. Education being the single most robust government enterprise, it deserves to be managed through an independent body -- the Education Commission.
I would like to single out terming the 4-year long Honours course "terminal" for most HE-seekers as an unwise negative proposal. What was wrong with Mazid Khan Commission (1983) report that the student community rejected? Besides, how will this policy of "termination" be materialised? Let's look into the case of a student enrolled in a university or college in 4-year Honours course, who would have eligibility to compete for a job -- including the BCS -- but not be eligible for a teaching/professional cadre job. So why will s/he finish four years just one year before obtaining a Master's degree?
Although I don't like this proposal at all, the chance of realising this policy can be increased by materialising my proposal of extending Master's course from the present 1-year to a 2-year one and making research mandatory (first proposed in my previous article in Forum of September). Such a provision can stop unworthy students from advancing towards Master's course.
Besides, the said "terminating" proposal has a similarity with Mr. Maswood Alam Khan's suggestion of HSC graduates to be largely absorbed in the job market (see The New Age:04/10/2009). I would term this a prescription for a nation of clerks since youths having education only up to HSC, having not much decision-making capability, can do the clerical jobs "loyally" (echoing Macauley's 1835 minutes!). However, Mr. Khan rightly emphasised on job-oriented education since we have long been encouraging gaining of Honours and Master's certificates, focusing less on what the certificate holders would be doing. That was an undeclared one-sided policy. Now if we put emphasis only on job, defying the need of opening up mental avenues, the proposal would again be narrow. There must be a balance between job-orientation and scope for enriching the mental faculties.
Therefore, I argue that instead of shrinking HE, we need to further increase its capacity for the greater benefit of the nation. It may be mentioned here that Japan, having about 70% of Bangladesh's population, has about 1,000 universities. We still have less than 10% of that number! The USA has over 2,000 universities for less than double of Bangladesh's population.
To increase capacity of HE, we can establish more new public universities, reviving and extending the last AL government's initiative of establishing 12 S&T universities. Besides, putting emphasis on technical education (as suggested in the policy committee report), polytechnic diploma holders should have greater chance of further studies in technological universities (why only in DUET?). In addition, there must be greater scope of lateral mobility among steams, especially from technical/madrassa to general education, according to the learners' ability and choice.
Furthermore, the mushroom-growth of low-grade and business-oriented private universities should be pulled back by strictly applying the UGC rules for maintaining standards. The provision of HE in colleges can be made meaningful by creating posts and appointing sufficient numbers of qualified teachers in those institutions.
Lastly, the government plan of "Digital Bangladesh" can start being implemented by first digitalising the universities, thus providing enough scope for using the internet for learning and research purposes.
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