The state of our public universities
AS a proud alumnus of Dhaka University I was elated to see a local newspaper headline saying: "Dhaka University among world's top varsities." Further reading revealed that in the recent Webometrics Ranking of World Universities DU ranked 4922 worldwide and 45 in the subcontinent, hardly an endorsement for "one of the world's top universities." There is no dearth of talent or intellectual capability as DU and other universities continue to produce some exceptional scholars and academics under very difficult circumstances. So why are our universities not internationally competitive?
The government, through its "Vision 2021," has promised a middle income and technologically advanced country by 2021. These desired objectives couldn't be achieved without a vibrant and innovative higher education system. Excellence in higher education is closely linked to research productivity; the highest ranked universities in the world are also the best in research. Our poor standing in higher education is in part due to the fact that research has not been a priority in Bangladeshi universities.
There are a multitude of factors that affect teaching and research in our universities. Research productivity and innovation are not considered important for personal advancement of teachers. Senior academics find little time for research and supervision of research students. There is very little research funding from the government and almost none from industry.
Major equipment is mostly unavailable and libraries are severely under resourced. Competitive research grants and pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships are not available. The culture of multidisciplinary research, innovation and development of intellectual property has not taken root. Our public universities cannot become internationally competitive unless the above deficiencies are rectified.
If the desire to develop excellence in higher education and research is genuine then the government must drastically improve the research environment and transform the research culture in the universities. This cannot be done under the present set-up of the Ministry of Education, which is overstretched in fixing the immense problems of the primary and secondary education sectors.
Higher education, especially in science and technology relevant to our national priorities, requires the input of the ministries of education, science and industry, and they need to seriously consider the establishment of a joint department of postgraduate research, innovation and technology transfer. Establishment of multidisciplinary cooperative research centres between university laboratories, government research centres and industry units with complementary expertise and resources would provide the needed competitive edge and help in the development of key priority sectors such as agriculture, health, energy and environment.
A congenial academic atmosphere required for serious scholarship and research is severely disrupted by violence and lack of security on campus. A blanket ban on student politics will be counterproductive. Enlightened university students, motivated by a strong sense of idealism, have been at the forefront of all our national struggles for educational reform, language rights, democracy and independence. Campus elections have taught them democratic practices and equipped them for future leadership.
So banning genuine student politics is equivalent to "throwing the baby out with the bath water." The right of students to safeguard student interests and support educational reform, and on rare occasions to take a principled stand on national issues, should be guaranteed.
Much of what passes as student politics today, such as carrying of arms on campus, illegal allocation of residential seats, forcible occupation of residential halls and inter and intra-party armed confrontations, has everything to do with lucrative commercial contracts and nothing to do with student politics. These criminal acts can be severely dealt with under existing criminal laws. This does not happen as these criminal elements, consisting of a small minority of students, are members of student fronts of the major political parties and act as their enforcers on campus. The only way to eliminate student violence is to ban criminal activities on campus and to sever formal links between student organisations and political parties.
Criminal elements on campus have often been patronised by teachers and teacher organisations aligned to the government and other major political parties. Recruitment and promotion based on political alignment has led to the proliferation of mediocre and self-serving teachers, and a sense of frustration and insecurity for highly meritorious but politically non-aligned teachers. To correct this, all academics, including vice-chancellors and deans, should be appointed through transparent procedures based solely on merit and academic achievements, including peer-reviewed publications and administrative abilities.
Vision 2021 cannot be realised in the absence of "world-class" universities, for which a culture of scholarship, research and innovation, and a peaceful and congenial atmosphere are essential. If the present government is really serious about reform of the higher education sector then din bodol must first commence in the public universities.
Ahmed A. Azad is a former Professor of Medical Biotechnology and Director of Research, University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO, Australia. Email: a_azad05@yahoo.com.au.
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