Dr. Md. Shafiqul Islam :
Universities are important areas of advanced and technological research. In fact, university is the focal point for crafting commercial, economic, and social progress. Knowledge creation through research development of innovative thinking and consciousness mainly occurs through the university. Universities integrate diverse research and skilled faculty into a specific structure to contribute to innovation and development, which is impossible for industrial institutions alone. Overall development can be made sustainable through the development of education. The most appropriate frameworks, curricula, pedagogies, and administrative policies for promoting sustainable development through higher education institutions still need to be clarified. The industry can develop new products in collaboration with universities. It makes it easier for the industry to survive in the competitive global market.
Scientific tools that are not readily available in university laboratories can be easily accessed by faculty through industry-academia linkages. This tool creates additional research opportunities for teachers, contributing to the country’s productivity. This university and industry connection creates future employment opportunities for graduate and postgraduate students. In this process, students can be trained in highly skilled industry applications and impact the economy as a relevant workforce in areas of national interest.
Our university course curriculum should be designed according to the needs of industries because industries are not getting skilled manpower in many cases. Therefore, skilled workers have to be recruited from abroad. Again, the number of unemployed is enormous. There is a difference between the two sides, so the university has to take the initiative. The need of the time is to develop manpower as per the needs of the industries.
Many graduates of our higher education institutions lack technical skills. As a result, they remain unemployed. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and meeting the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution requires university-industry linkages. Therefore, the matter should be seriously considered, and a long-term plan should be adopted quickly. That is why the government’s decision to remove the age requirement for technical education is correct.
Nowadays, emphasis is placed on correct thinking, aptitude, and efficient use of communication technology to succeed in career and life. Therefore, teachers should teach how to improve students’ communication skills in class. The old education model should be abandoned and taught in a modern way. Higher education institutions should be ideal institutions. Indeed, students today can only survive in the job market or the era of globalisation with soft skills.
For example, no more traditional accounting lessons are needed in the field of accounting. Students should be taught in conjunction with new technology and software so that an ideal accountant can be created through skill-based learning. Audit is a part of accounting. For example, to audit an algorithmic trading company, an auditor cannot cope with the scale of transactions and all the complexities involved. Software programmes must be used to ensure meaningful audit results. To understand this new language of business, to measure, to report – the accountant or auditor has to adopt advanced technologies. In this way, we have to develop our students in other disciplines. Otherwise, surviving in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era will not be easy. Higher education must be considered so that our economic goals are achieved during the fourth industrial revolution.
Skill-based learning is an important aspect of education. Here, the emphasis is on acquiring skills or competencies. Competency-based learning measures how much students actually learn; it does not matter how much time is spent in the classroom. Clearly, the old definition of 14 or 5 hours equaling one credit is no longer valid. Moreover, merit-based education should focus on individual students separately. Teachers need to provide as much effective time as it takes for students to learn at their own pace, mastering targeted knowledge and skills. The world is changing fast. The world is now focusing on economic and technological change. For example, an employer focuses on soft skills while recruiting. Priority is given to how much the job seeker knows about or is skilled in using new technology. Students have to respond to the changing demands of the market. As such, employers want people in their organisation who can adapt to any situation. Therefore, according to the advice of the American Management Association, the skills that students need to acquire are the 4Cs – Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. Higher education should pay attention to this issue. For that, the course curriculum should be arranged in the universities.
For the development of higher education, the universities should be divided into two categories, some of which will be research-based only, and others will be non-research-based, where theoretical studies will be conducted. A research university cannot offer all the courses like a normal university. The government should take a decision in this regard, which will increase the quality of research activities in education and positively impact our economy. Education and training are key to aligning with business or economic needs. After all, despite many educational developments, allocation to the education budget has not increased compared to GDP. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the allocation in the revised budget for the education and research sector. Without development of quality of higher education, it is tough to achieve the Smart Bangladesh. So, Government should focus on quality of research and education in universities through providing facilities and developing policies.
(The writer is Associate Professor, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Mymensingh).