The University Teachers' Network held a seminar at the Prof Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium in the Social Science Building of Dhaka University on Monday focusing on the theme, "How do we want the university to be? Ideas for university reform."
The event drew a diverse group of scholars from various universities, including prominent figures such as Prof Dr Gitiara Nasreen, Prof Dr Md Kamrul Hasan Mamun, and economist Prof Anu Muhammad. The seminar featured in-depth discussions on the pressing challenges facing higher education in Bangladesh and explored potential reforms to address these issues.
"Party politics dominates academic quality in public universities. Except for a few top institutions, even private universities have not seen significant progress; in many cases, they have become little more than certificate mills. In this context, the University Teachers’ Network is proposing a framework for transformation and reform," said Farha Tanzim Titil from the Department of Economics at Islamic University in her opening remarks.
The University Teachers’ Network discussed the differences and challenges faced by various types of universities and identified key problems along with possible solutions. Some of the highlighted issues included:
- Government Authority: Government interference is undermining the autonomy of universities through partisan politics, which is dominating university education.
- Neoliberal Policy and UGC Strategy Paper: The University Grants Commission's 20-year strategy paper (2006-2026) is applying policy pressure to increase the internal revenue of public universities while reducing government allocations.
- Allocation and Research in Education: Bangladesh lags behind South Asian standards in education spending relative to GDP or the national budget.
- Recruitment and Admission: Merit has become devalued in the recruitment and promotion of teachers due to the trend of appointing candidates based on political considerations in public universities. The MCQ-based admission process also fails to identify university-fit students, leading to a decline in the average quality of the student body.
- Student Housing and Politics: Student dormitories lack basic living and study conditions. Instead, an unpleasant and intimidating atmosphere prevails due to a ruffian culture, which undermines the principles of the university and hinders the development of liberal and free-thinking students. While the government imposes a regulatory environment on other organizations, student politics remains unchecked.
"When we talk about student politics, terror politics comes to mind. However, this is not solely the fault of Chhatra League. Chhatra League is not synonymous with terror politics; they are not always involved in such activities. However, when the Awami League is in power, Chhatra League often engages in terrorist activities. This pattern began with NSF. After our independence, we thought it had ended, but we have seen it recur multiple times," said Prof Anu Muhammad, an economist teaching at Jahangirnagar University.
"A lot depends on how the state views the university. If the state wants teachers and students to avoid creative activities, it will need a mix of thugs and spineless administration to enforce this. The coexistence of such elements is exactly what the government desires, and fulfilling this wish has led to the current situation," he added.
Anu Muhammad also emphasized the need for educational policy reform. He noted, "There is a lot of research being conducted both inside and outside the country, but the general public remains unaware of it. This is a significant problem in our education system. Another issue is the lack of Bengali reference books. We advocate studying in our mother tongue, yet we fail to practice it. Teachers recommend reference books knowing that students will not be able to read them."
Dr Syed Nizar, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Jahangirnagar University, stated: "A significant topic now is the depoliticization of universities. What does depoliticization mean? It means suppressing your right to express opinions, political views, and the ability to organize politically or advance political ideas. This suppression is typically carried out by dictators and colonial rulers."
The University Teachers’ Network's written statement suggested that the government should trust universities and refrain from using them for political gain. It urged the government to allow universities to operate independently. In line with neoliberal ideology, public universities in Bangladesh should move away from the commercialization policies set by the World Bank. Higher education should be made accessible to the poor, according to the needs of developing countries.
Teachers should be held accountable for their primary responsibility of teaching. Working hours should be specified, and the balance between teaching and research should be based on the teacher’s interests and abilities.
The government should increase funding for research, and group identity should not play a dominant role in obtaining research grants. The admission process should also be gradually reformed, starting with a shift away from purely MCQ-based entrance exams to an aptitude test. In the first year, seats should be allocated to all students, and then distributed based on merit and demand.
