The demand of Universities n their subjects

[shibli]

In Bangladesh most of the students want to study at the University of Dhaka.

Then comes Jahangirnagar University

3. Rajshashi University

4. Chittagong University

Students who get chance in Dhaka University usually won't study at Chittagong or Rajshahi University.

Students from Science background want to get themselves admitted in BUET and Medical and then BITs.

The subjects demanded by science students in DU are as follows(according to demand):

1. Computer Science
2. Pharmacy
3. Microbiology
4. Biochemistry
5. Applied Chemistry
6. Applied Physics
7. Chemistry
8. Physics
9. Math
10. Statistics
11. Geography

The subjects demanded by arts students in DU are as follows(according to demand):

1. Economics
2. English
3. Law
4. Public Administration
5. Sociology
6. Social Welfare
7. Political Science
8. History
9. Geography
10. Psychology
11. Philosophy

(to be continued)

[shibli]

Most of the students from Commerce or Science background want to study at IBA, then comes Dhaka University Commerce faculty, finally private universities. In the next write-up, i will discuss the role of private universities for the development of business education. (To be continued)

[shibli]

Building a World-Class University

SYED SAAD ANDALEEB argues that quality education for all is a right and not a privilege

THE Rise of Asian Universities, an article written in Foreign Affairs (May-June 2010) by Richard Levin, President of Yale University, reflects the new dynamism in higher education that has gripped the Asian region. The article provides insight that provokes serious thinking about the state of higher education in Bangladesh, its intended purpose, and what it has really accomplished over the years.

For educational planners and thinkers, this is a "must-read" article to imbue its message seriously, contemplate deeply, and act in right earnest -- and soon -- if they are sincere about building a higher education system in Bangladesh that is linked to the nation's growth and development.

If nothing else, my desire behind writing this piece is to stoke the fire once again and buttress the idea that the higher education system in Bangladesh must be reinvented for the 21st century. In such a system there must be a few crown jewels to lead the way, blazing a path of innovative, relevant, exciting, and context-specific education.

Unfortunately, in a systematic search of world university rankings there was no crown jewel to be found representing Bangladesh. Only the name of the University of Dhaka peeped out timidly with a ranking somewhere in the range of 500-599.

A similar search of top ranking Asian universities showed that Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea dominate the top ten, while IIT Bombay is ranked 30th, followed by Kanpur (34), Delhi (36), and Roorkee (63). Not a single university from Bangladesh was categorised among the top 200 Asian universities.

Perhaps this is a reflection of the deep-seated problems that exist in the entire education system: Even to this day, our educational system remains very parochial, colonial, and primitive in orientation.

Such a system will not take Bangladesh forward; instead it will stunt the nation and render it ineffective in competing with its neighbors in the region who were at par on education around the time of independence and who have forged ahead resolutely in leaps and bounds, leaving Bangladesh near the bottom of the heap in educational attainments in the region and, indeed, the world.


I have tried to nurture and infuse academics from and in Bangladesh to dream of building "world-class" institutions. This is a comprehensive task that requires persistent and contemporary thinking, a credible and critical mass of academic leaders, organisation and team effort, participation of the best and brightest, and substantial resources. When brought to fruition, the returns from a world-class institution can be incalculable.

First here are some key insights gleaned from Levin's article:
* Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore -- and now China and India -- have forever altered the global balance of power.
* Their impressive achievements began to take shape in the 1960s when they started providing greater access to post-secondary education.
* In China, nine universities have begun to receive supplemental government funding to create -- pay heed -- China's Ivy League. (China has begun to recognise the need for elite schools that will produce the nation's thinkers and leaders).
* In India, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has announced its intentions to build 14 new comprehensive "world-class" universities (Their IITs were designed for a similar purpose and now the race is on to reach the very top).
* In the 1990s, China's gross enrollment ratio (GER) [in tertiary education] -- the percent of university age population enrolled in post-secondary education -- was at par with Bangladesh at 5 per cent. By 2006 China was spending 1.5 per cent of its GDP on "higher education." The result: the number of higher education institutions (HEIs) have doubled from 1,022 to 2,263, with access to higher education reaching 5.5 million in 2007 from one million earlier and with a GER of 23 per cent (compared to 58 per cent in Japan, 59 in the UK, and 82 in the United States). For Bangladesh, the GER in 2007 according to a Unesco database was 8 per cent for males and 4 per cent for females.

Having dramatically expanded access to higher education, the Asian giants are beginning to refocus. It is now their intent to build universities that can compete with the finest in the world. Levin goes on to observe: "The governments of China, India, Singapore and South Korea are explicitly seeking to elevate some of their universities to this exalted status [world-class] because they recognise the important role that university-based scientific research has played in driving economic growth in the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. And they understand that world-class universities are the ideal place to educate students for careers in science, industry, government, and civil society creating people who have the intellectual breadth and critical-thinking skills to solve problems, to innovate, and to lead."

The final gem in Levin's piece suggests the need to prioritise research that world-class universities must aggressively pursue. Referring to Vannevar Bush's 1945 report to President Harry Truman, Levin shows how research was instituted and ingrained in academia by the US government.

The three principles on which research was firmly established still govern today and are as follows:
* The federal government bears the primary responsibility for funding basic science.
* The universities -- rather than government-run labs, nonteaching research institutions, or private companies -- are the primary institutions responsible for carrying out government-funded research.
* Although the government determines the total amount of funding available … projects and programs are assessed … through an intensely competitive process of peer review.

Levin's article will hopefully roil the thought processes of educational planners to contemplate and assess: 1) the present image and standing of the HEIs, 2) what they want to be (can they dream of being world-class?) and 3) how they want to get there. There's been enough talk (it is cheap), enough writing (that few people read), and enough conferences (that burn time and resources but have little else to show). It is time to roll up the sleeves and begin to act.

A key question that might arise is what constitutes world-class? A document entitled, "The Top American Research Universities" acknowledges that when the rankings are revealed periodically (e.g., in the US News and World Report), many "universities decry the commercialism of the rankings, attack the methodology of the ranking process, and proudly distribute to their alumni those rankings in which they appear high."

This suggests that there is no single set of measures that will be acceptable to the wide variety of universities that are in existence today to define their rank -- something akin to the corruption perception index that ruffles the feathers of those nations that rank as most corrupt. Yet, in the absence of a perfect system, what is the alternative?

Also, while Bangladesh may not have the resources that China or India can bring to bear on reshaping higher education, it is my belief, and a very strong one too, that the human and financial capital exists in Bangladesh to begin building "the first" world-class university. As Lao Tzu has indelibly impressed upon the world: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

There will be many obstacles, undoubtedly. But others in the Asian neighbourhood are solving them; why should we throw up our hands? At the same time, it is also prudent to be realistic that it will probably take a long while to move into the ranks of the elite-100 or better. Those at the top will not be easy to dislodge. But, with the right effort and intention, it is possible to move from nowhere or the group of 500+ to the group of 400 or even 300 as starters. That is the very least that can be expected of institutions from the land of the Oxford of the East as they aspire to improve in ranking, while transforming themselves into powerful agents of change.

To build a world-class institution of higher learning, it is important for planners at the highest levels to grapple with a few basic questions now:
* Foremost among the questions is how do we transform the political climate in the country and recalibrate it from destructive conflict -- where the nation is sacrificed to the political party and the political party to a few individuals -- to accommodation of diverse views, and ultimately to one of cooperation and healthy competition. Without an enabling political environment, nothing of substance can really be cultivated and nurtured.
* How do we construct a relationship of trust between those who will teach and those who will build? I believe the necessary resources have not been forthcoming from industry and private sources as in the developed world because of a serious credibility gap that derives from lack of confidence in the intentions and/or abilities of today's academic leaders.
* Should we build anew or should we reorganise one or a few chosen universities where higher quality is to be rapidly infused to attain world-class status? For the case of reorganisation, can we retire the non-performing faculty quickly (many apparently are politically recruited in the public universities whose functions are only remotely connected to academic activities, if at all) by paying them reasonable severances (with government and industry funding) or transferring them out to other universities?
* How do we recruit academic exemplars to represent the universities? What needs to be done to attract and recruit the best and brightest from home and abroad, and not those who would choose the teaching profession because there was nothing better available to them?
* How do we get the faculties to engage in research? The leading universities of the world are creators and repositories of knowledge that has gained them their very distinctiveness and influence.

Once a process is initiated to build world-class institutions, they must begin to play the vital role of transforming Bangladesh society into a knowledge-based one. For this, they must engage deeply in knowledge generation (research). In fact, an important objective of academia is to conceptualise, generate, disseminate, use, and extend a body of knowledge by establishing knowledge zones, knowledge enterprises and learning communities for the ultimate purpose of building a better and context-relevant society.

Knowledge zones are clusters of researchers working together in a particular area to advance the state of knowledge in that area (e.g., better technologies, human rights, governance, water resources, health services, etc.). Clusters of knowledge zones comprise a knowledge enterprise (e.g., a particular university or research institution). A collection of knowledge enterprises constitutes a learning community (e.g., the public or private universities and the research institutions where research is a significant activity) that is vibrant with ideas and innovations, thus enabling it to spring to greater heights.

Can Bangladesh build world-class institutions? I believe it can if it embraces the best of ideas and accommodates the right people, with the right view, right intentions, right speech, right action, right effort and right concentration as the great sage Gautama Buddha would have implored and whose ideas have been imbued by our neighbours: the East Asian giants.

The present-day higher education system is anemic and lacking in vitality, given its adherence to parochialism, inertia, lack of leadership, and a colonial mindset. The status quo has simply lost its luster and meaning. Let us take that first bold step to nurture a world-class university. With the process in place, other universities will surely follow in its wake, thereby gradually rebuilding the higher education system to its former greatness, glory, and gravitas.

Dr. Syed Saad Andaleeb is Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Program Chair, Black School of Business, Penn State Erie; Editor, Journal of Bangladesh Studies; and President, Bangladesh Development Initiative.

[shibli]

Degrees offered by public universities have fallen below global standards. This situation compels many students to go abroad for higher studies. Accurate figures are not available for the number of students going abroad for studies each year or of the total number of Bangladeshi students studying abroad. The estimated total varies from 80,000 to 200,000, the highest going to India followed by the US. This exodus is a drain on the foreign currency reserve; a large part of this money may be wasted, as many of these young people do not return to the country. For those studying in developed countries, the rate of return is low because of the great disparity between their expertise and job opportunities in Bangladesh. Conversely, in Bangladesh today, institutes of higher education are unable to prepare graduates to be self-employed, entrepreneurial or innovative. It is with these considerations in mind that the Education Policy-2000 emphasizes the necessity for restructuring the overall higher education system and outlines a number of policy objectives and strategies to arrest the present receding trend and to develop the overall higher education system in Bangladesh. Liberal education needs to incorporate more career-based curricula. In Bangladesh, while there is an acute shortage of mathematics, science and English teachers, there is a huge surplus of arts and social science graduates.

University degrees are losing relevance and offer poor opportunities for employment. In Bangladesh, 80 percent of university graduates take more than two years to secure their first job, most of which are unrelated to their fields of academic specialization. Doctors, engineers, and pharmacists often become police officers, custom collectors and diplomats. Employers complain that they have to spend valuable time and resources in arranging extensive re-training for newly appointed graduates. The higher education system needs to be more employment oriented. There is also a need for close co-operation between the public and private sector. Private sector involvement will assist in making higher education vibrant, dynamic and progressive. Close community interaction with universities can help to achieve this goal.

[shibli]

The private universities are playing important role in promoting higher education in Bangladesh. Because first and foremost, they came to offer the time-demanded courses for the aspiring youths of the soil, who might be called the future leaders of the country. Since their emergence in 1990’s, private universities have been an important and integral part, with rather a dominant position, of tertiary education in the country. In last two decades, they have flourished with successes and failures. But on the whole, their role is positive and aspiring. They can probably play even better role if they get proper government supports in the form of policy guidance. Government finds it difficult to allocate adequate resources needed to meet the growing demands for education. Opportunities for good education are extremely limited in the country; the situation is particularly critical in the university level. A large number of prospective students cannot get admission due to limited seats available in small numbers of public universities. In 1992, the government by an act of parliament allowed establishment of private universities in Bangladesh. Since then a large number of private universities have been opened and run in the country mostly located in Dhaka. These universities mostly offer courses like Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Master of Business Administration (MBA) majoring in Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management, Human Resources Management, Management Information System etc. Students after successful completion of these courses easily get jobs in the highly competitive job market. Professor M Shahjahan Mina rightly said in a seminar at Daffodil International University Auditorium, “Without private universities, business education could not expand so much.”

[shibli]

Universities, both public and private, play a vital role in creating a pool of highly educated and trained specialists. In Bangladesh, thousands of students who pass the higher secondary examination cannot get admission to the few public universities due to limited seats. The lucky ones who do get admission become hostage to endemic campus violence, session jams and poor academic atmosphere. In order to alleviate the situation, the Government of Bangladesh, in 1992 promulgated an ordinance permitting the establishment of private universities. Some welcomed this development with a sigh of relief, while others viewed it with reservation. They argued that private universities in Bangladesh were destined to fail because those would not deliver enough benefits to the society. Some private universities, even while charging high tuition fees, do not maintain expected academic standards. Consequently, there is serious doubt about the efficacy of private universities in delivering quality higher education. The growing number of private universities and the manner of their operation raises questions and concerns. But the private universities in Bangladesh are playing a vital role in meeting the need of the society and their contribution in development of human resources in the country.

[shibli]

The growth of private universities in Bangladesh is phenomenal. These universities offer degrees in subjects like Business Administration, Management Information System (MIS), Computer Engineering, Development Studies, English and so on. Besides, many private universities have expanded their programs from the undergraduate to the graduate level, by offering MBAs, Master in Economics, Master in Development Studies, Master in Computer Science, etc. Many private universities have introduced evening MBA Programs for professionals. Significant advantages that accrue to private universities are:

a. Flexibility. Private Universities are flexible and relatively free to introduce new subjects or discard non-demanding subjects based on market demand. Unlike public universities, these can readily modify their curriculum to suit changing requirements.

b. Adherence to Schedules. There is no session jam, student unrest or violence in private universities. During the days of political violence in 1994-96, private universities arranged regular make-up classes on holidays and in the evenings and could successfully graduate their students on time.

c. Credit Transfer to and Collaboration with Foreign Universities. Credit transfer to foreign universities and institutions are available in most private universities. Moreover, some of the better run private universities have developed academic linkages with a number of foreign universities through faculty and curriculum exchange, exchange of course materials, post graduate research collaboration, etc. Thus, students studying in private universities are getting a taste of the global learning environment. Among the 100 NSU graduates in 1999, 19 were pursuing higher studies abroad (12 were in universities in the USA, three were studying in universities in the U.K., two each in Canada and Australia) in MBA/MS programme.21 Teachers from foreign universities had also taught in these universities for one or more semesters. This enabled the university to update the curriculum, course content and teaching methods. One of the private universities has even appointed an academician from the Philippines as the Vice Chancellor.

d. Evaluation of Teachers. Teachers' qualifications in some of the better run private universities are higher than the public universities and UGC's guidelines. Masters or PhD degrees from North American Universities are preferred. The teaching ability of teachers is tested through demonstrative lectures. Moreover, students and senior teachers regularly assess teachers.

e. Career Services Department. Well-run private universities have a 'Career Services Department' through which final semester students are advised about their choice of profession and job prospects. Graduated students enlist their names and wait for a response. Teacher and staff responsible for this section maintain regular contact with prospective employers. The university staff assists graduates to secure suitable jobs. Frequent job fairs are arranged through the career assistance program.

f. Graduates Employment Prospect. Graduates of better and well reputed private universities like the NSU, IUB, AIUB, and USTC get suitable jobs. For example, in 1999, out of 100 students who had graduated from NSU, 50 were employed, 33 were pursuing higher studies (MBA/MS/PhD) at home or abroad and only 4 were unemployed till 2000. Information on the whereabouts of 13 graduates could not be collected. One of the private universities, USTC, which teaches medical science, has students from regional and developing countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.24 Many private university graduates seek employment abroad. However, not all private universities enjoy the same reputation. The results of a survey conducted on 115 students and teachers of different categories of private universities, regarding their employment prospects shows that half of the students and their teachers were optimistic about suitable employment on graduation, the rest were unsure.

g. Emphasis on English Language and Computer Literacy. The medium of instruction in private universities is English and libraries have recent texts and other reference books. Many Bengali medium students attain proficiency in oral and written English in these universities. Students also
attain computer literacy. These proficiencies give them an advantage in the job market.

h. Collaboration with Industries and Companies. Private universities maintain a collaborative relationship with reputed industries, multi-national companies and corporate business houses, primarily to run students' internship program. This arrangement immensely benefits the students, as they can relate their theoretical knowledge to the practical field and can undertake field research. Moreover, practical knowledge acquired through internship gives an edge to private university graduates in the job market.

j. Financial Assistance Programs. All the private universities have financial support policies for the students. Full scholarships are given to the first few, who were at the top of the merit list (varies from university to university) of SSC and HSC examinations or have all 'A's in the O and A-level examinations. Tuition waivers are also given at different rates based on individual need and academic performance. A few private universities arrange part-time employment for needy students. However, private universities in general do not cater to students from a lower income group, unless they can qualify for a full or partial tuition fee waiver.

[shibli]

The role of private universities in creating Entrepreneurs

The role of private universities in creating future entrepreneurs is very great. An entrepreneur is one who always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity. Can anyone be an entrepreneur? The answer is no. But with access to capital, minimum education facility and own creativity, many intelligent, energetic youth can be turned into a decent business people.

In a developing county like ours, the business education of private universities has a crucial role to play in contributing to the economic growth and providing employment opportunities. The private sector is the engine of innovation in all sectors of the economy. Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh currently thrives in two sectors of the economy -- among the poorest of the poor (14 million households) and among the well-off (about 2.5 million households).

Economic Development through Entrepreneurship Initiatives: No developing country can achieve sustained economic or social development without engaging effectively in the broader trade dependent economic environment. The role of such innovative entrepreneurial efforts greatly influences country's overall GDP, productivity, economic reform and social growth in the context of global economy. The long-term goal of entrepreneurial efforts aims to ensure that poor can contribute and share the benefits of growth through enhancing their purchasing power. It will in turn encourage economies to specialize in, and concentrate on, areas where these will add relative cost advantage over other economies. Eventually, this will become a strong tool for poverty alleviation.

Private universities such as North South University have already introduced courses like Development Studies and Economics which can create more future entrepreneurs like Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

[shibli]

Thus the demand of business education of private universities is increasing. It’s said that business is like swimming. One can never learn swimming by reading books only. We feel that in our education system, especially in higher education, there is a missing-link between the universities and corporate world. Business faculty of private universities is trying to bridge up this gap. We know knowledge, skill and aptitude are key factors in the quest for sustainable human development. Bangladesh has to be a part of this quest. Universities are a mirror of a nation and the tool to measure the depth and the quality of knowledge is very necessary. Unfortunately, public universities in Bangladesh have fallen below regional and international standards. These institutions are faced with multifarious problems. It is no longer a debate whether private universities should continue to assist. Private universities especially the business faculty offers internship programs, modern systems and their graduates' better employment potentials add to their credit. Business education of private universities in Bangladesh definitely has contributions in socioeconomic development and human resource development, though at a high cost. Napoleon said, “Give me an educated mother, I will give you an educated nation”, but I would like to say, “Give me an educated mother in Business, I will give you good future leaders.” Because our country needs good managers, leaders and entrepreneurs. But without private universities, the dream will remain a dream only.