Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
That not a single university from Bangladesh is among the top 300 universities of Asia in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2024 is truly an embarrassing fact. India boasts no less than 40 universities in the prestigious charts and Pakistan 12. Bangladesh's most prestigious academic institution, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), is positioned in the 301-350 bracket, while India's top-ranking institution, the Indian Institute of Science, secured the 32nd position, and Pakistan's leading university, Quaid e Azam University, grabbed 121st position.
Other Bangladeshi universities listed in the ranking include Jahangirnagar University (JU) in the 301-350 bracket, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) and North South University (NSU) in the 351-400 bracket, BRAC University (BRACU), Dhaka University (DU), and Rajshahi University (RU) in the 401-500 bracket, and Khulna University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in the 501-600 bracket.
While the dismal performance of the country's higher education sector compared to its regional counterparts is concerning, Dhaka University (DU)'s position in the rankings is particularly a cause for alarm. The country's premier university, once seen as a jewel in the crown of universities throughout Asia, not only failed to be among the Asia's top 350 universities, but also it ranked behind four local universities (three public and one private).
Dhaka University is the university the majority of Bangladeshis aspired to attend because it was regarded as the centre of excellence in the days gone by. How could a shrine of learning like DU be allowed to become a crumbling shell of its former self? What is ailing DU and other universities in the country? The Times Ranking has sounded a loud wake-up call to address the issues involved effectively.
In today's world, education, along with everything else, is becoming increasingly competitive. The international ranking of universities is prepared by "judging the institutions across all their core missions - teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook." Globally and regionally top-ranking universities are proactively implementing various measures to improve their position in international ranking. The poor performance of Bangladeshi universities in global rankings came to light over a decade ago, triggering brief media storms whenever different international rankings were released each year. But regrettably, the authorities appear to have adopted a 'couldn't care less' attitude.
Notably, Vice Chancellor of a public university once said on a TV talk show that they don't accept these rankings! How preposterous! This 'we don't accept' attitude seemingly transforms into a 'we don't care' attitude. Thus, hardly any steps have been taken to enhance the qualitative standards of universities, aside from increasing their number. Consequently, while universities worldwide are endeavouring to make progress, most of our universities are besieged by a myriad of issues, including campus unrest fuelled by violent student politics, contentious teacher politics, and irregularities and corruption in faculty and staff appointments.
One doesn't need to be an expert to understand the link between education and economic growth of a country. Worldwide, countries with high-quality education are the most developed, both economically and culturally. For example, the top 100 positions in THE Asia University Ranking are occupied by universities from China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. On the global scale, the United States and European countries dominate the list of the world's top universities.
Bangladesh is not perceived to become one of the world's leading education centre in the foreseeable future, but the government is nursing an admirable vision called Vision 2041, which aims to build a knowledge-based economy. Quality of education will be an all-important contributor to realise this vision. The country's growth so far has primarily been propelled by its cheap labour advantage, particularly in the ready-made garment and manpower export sectors. Low labour productivity, however, cannot provide sufficient momentum to propel the economy toward long-term development targets. Hence the role of universities in developing skilled manpower, on a par with global standards, cannot be overstated.
While the malaise afflicting the varsities is deep-seated and multifaceted, a number factors are obvious such as low budgetary allocation, lack of good governance, controversial appointment of Vice Chancellors, partial recruitment of teachers, and lack of essential facilities to impart higher education in the modern sense of the term. Moreover, student politics has reached such a vicious point that perhaps it is time the authorities decided if it should be allowed at all to continue. The integrity of the teachers is also being questioned.
One of the key reasons that Bangladeshi universities fail to excel in global ranking is the lack of quality research. Research serves as a barometer of a university's academic strength and the intellectual prowess of its faculty and students. Their robust research facilities and exceptional graduate programs distinguish world-renowned universities like Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. But some of the Bangladeshi universities are found allocating more funds for teachers' refreshment purposes than conducting research. Many students and teachers within the academia seemingly prioritise petty party politics over scholarly pursuits. The situation has come to such a pass that independent researchers are even viewed as troublemakers and subjected to harassment.
Against this backdrop, it is expected that the government would address these issues in the right spirit. Universities must be independent of politics at all levels and led by people whose credentials as accomplished academics are above question. Moreover, university administration needs to be both innovative and imaginative to handle a highly complex matter like imparting higher education. Political consideration should not play any role in university education, unless it is their mission to further lower the educational standards.