Milon calls for action against private universities failing to meet standards
Education minister urges stronger oversight and more research.
Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon today (22 August) asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to identify private universities where educational standards are unsatisfactory and take appropriate action against them.
He made the remarks while addressing a session of the two-day Vice-Chancellors' Dialogue: Shaping the Future of Higher Education, organised by the UGC at the BRAC CDM Centre in Savar.
"The quality of education at some private universities is not satisfactory. We need to identify those institutions and take necessary action," he said.
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Milon urged the UGC to play a stronger role in ensuring quality at private universities.
He also called for expanding research opportunities at universities, saying there is no alternative to research for improving education.
"We [the government] have already allocated 2% of GDP to the education budget, and we plan to gradually raise it to 5%," Milon said.
He said the government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is prioritising research.
Milon expressed hope that increased allocation would help address the shortage of research funding at universities.
The desired progress in higher education would not be possible without building research-oriented universities, he added.
He also called for expanding research opportunities at both public and private universities and urged the UGC to play a key role in doing so.
Highlighting the importance of "reverse brain drain", the education minister said Bangladeshi teachers and students have achieved success abroad in both academic performance and research.
Their talent and expertise should be brought back to the country and used for national development, he said.
He also stressed the need to establish a postgraduate university in Bangladesh and called for identifying and stopping waste in different sectors in the interest of national development.
UGC Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed chaired the event, while former Public Service Commission Chairman Prof ZN Tahmida Begum attended as a special guest.
