Editorial
Stricter legal framework for private universities?
It should solve problems, not create any
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has given to understand that a bill is in the works to formulate strict rules and regulations for setting up and working of the private universities. For all we know, private universities have been governed under the Private Universities Act, 1992 as amended in 1998.
The question is what were the shortcomings of the existing legal framework that warranted enactment of a new one? Evidently, there were lacunae in the existing act, otherwise how can one explain the existence of private universities without adequate facilities for higher education and the right kind of environment, given more to commercialisation rather than establishing centres for higher learning. As a matter of fact, the increasing demand for higher education is being taken advantage of in a wrong way by a breed of self-styled educational entrepreneurs who set up virtually signboard institutions without well-equipped laboratory and library, enough classrooms with educational aids, qualified teachers and space for interaction and recreation. Yet, they enroll students right, left and centre and dish out degrees that are hardly of regional, far less international standards.
At the same time, we have had some excellent private universities which have been competently catering to the needs for higher education of growing number of aspiring students who can't all be absorbed in the public universities. These are even providing alternatives to students who would otherwise have gone abroad for education. And, the meritorious among the turnouts from such good universities are servicing the upper end of the job market.
Just as there is the need for encouraging more of such good universities to scale newer heights so also is there an imperative to weed out the bad apples. Of course, there is an issue here for having an accreditation council to evaluate and standardise the syllabi and performances of the private universities to bring them at par with private universities around the world. There is also the question of rationalising the fees to provide greater access to aspiring students from differing socio-economic backgrounds. The private universities have a role in guaranteeing right to higher education for as many as possible by co-sharing the state's responsibility to be doing so.
The point we are trying to drive at is that the spontaneous growth of the better breed of universities should not be even unwittingly impeded by being too regulatory with them. As we see it, an update of the existing laws is necessitated to address the problem areas, do it by all means; but do make sure that in the name of driving away old problems we don't end up creating new ones.
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