UGC won’t grant exemptions for irregularities in private or public universities

UNB :
Chairman (additional charge) of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Muhammad Alamgir, has underscored the higher education regulator’s commitment to quality, emphasising that no exemptions would be granted for irregularities in private or public universities.

In an interview with UNB, Dr Alamgir highlighted the imperative of maintaining an unwavering focus on quality education without any interference.

“Those who do not value education may seek alternative paths.

When a university opens, some may not comprehend that it is non profitable.

They may have different intentions, perhaps business-related.

We maintain strictness in such cases.

Consequently, we often face challenges in collaborating with private universities.

However, the situation has significantly improved since before,” he said.

Any educational complaints, he noted, would be promptly communicated to the Ministry of Education for resolution.

When asked about the lack of quality teachers in universities or higher education, he said, there is no quality mechanism for producing teachers in our country. Many prominent universities do not even confer doctorate degrees, he pointed out.

Expressing his worry about the brain drain issue, Alamgir noted, “Students who pursue higher education abroad no longer return. This contributes to a crisis in both public and private universities.”

He attributed this trend to the inadequate salary structure for teachers in Bangladesh, significantly lower than neighbouring South Asian countries.

“The salary structure for teachers in our country is inadequate. When compared to neighbouring countries in South Asia, the remuneration for university teachers in our country is very low. I am concerned about these issues,” he said.

“If we aspire to provide quality education, we need resources. In a university, the primary resources are teachers and students. There is no alternative to quality teachers if we desire quality education.”

Expressing his worry about the brain drain issue, Alamgir noted that students pursuing higher education abroad were not returning, leading to a crisis in both public and private universities.

To address these challenges, Alamgir stressed the necessity of resources, identifying teachers and students as the primary assets for providing quality education. He said that quality teachers were indispensable for achieving educational excellence.

“If we aspire to provide quality education, we need resources. In a university, the primary resources are teachers and students. There is no alternative to quality teachers if we want quality education,” he said.