The University Grants Commission (UGC) has said that it will hold firm on its decision to not allow private universities to enroll new students unless they have begun taking measures to shift all academic activities to their permanent campuses.
The UGC in April last year declared the temporary campuses of 22 private universities illegal and said they would not be allowed to admit new students unless they shifted to permanent campuses by December 31. Altogether seven of the 22 universities have so far managed to shift to permanent campuses.
Some of the other universities have asked for more time to make the transfer. However, UGC sources said only universities that have already begun taking measures will be given a few months, while those that have not yet started will not be allowed to admit new students in 2023.
When asked about the matter, UGC member (Private University) Prof Dr Biswajit Chanda told this reporter: “Universities will not be exempt from action as per the UGC act. They have had enough time already.”
The commission will not allow private universities to enroll new students if they are yet to take measures to shift to permanent campuses, he added.
He also warned that action would be taken if universities continued to use temporary campuses even after relocating to their permanent campuses.
What is the rule for permanent campuses?
According to Section 7(2) of the Private Universities Act 2010, universities can conduct their academic activities on temporary campuses for seven years after being granted approval. The university will get an additional five years if they cannot shift to a permanent campus within the initial seven years.
“The universities that were listed have already had more than 12 years. It is now clear that they are unwilling to shift (to permanent campuses) so the commission will not extend the deadline and action will be taken under the Private University Act,” said a UGC official
The seven universities that were able to shift to permanent campuses are University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, South East University, Daffodil International University, Northern University Bangladesh, Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, University of South Asia and Uttara University.
The 15 universities that have requested more time are People's University of Bangladesh, Dhaka International University, Manarat International University, BRAC University, Bangladesh University, University of Development Alternatives, Stamford University Bangladesh, State University of Bangladesh, Green University of Bangladesh, Millennium University, Presidency University, Victoria University of Bangladesh, Prime Asia University, Royal University of Dhaka, and ASA University Bangladesh.
UGC Director (Private University Division) Md Omar Faruque said just three out of the 15 universities were able to show the location of their permanent campus, although construction has not started yet. The other twelve universities do not even have locations for their permanent campuses.
Since 2010, the government has issued several ultimatums to the universities to move to permanent campuses.
