Curtail trustee board power: Educationists
The power of board of trustees on a private university's academic activities that include hiring faculties should be curtailed for its better growth, said educationists at a workshop yesterday.
In order to reduce the burden of a huge amount of tuition fees on students, they also urged the government to bring changes in its tax policy so investors are attracted in private universities.
The workshop titled “Private Universities in Bangladesh: Possibilities and Challenges” was participated by university officials and civil society members.
Supported by Dhaka University and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Bangladesh, the workshop was held at a hotel in Dhaka.
Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University said the authorities of private universities need to reduce their dependency on part-time teachers.
For better decision making, he put emphasis on inclusion of representatives from private universities in the University Grants Commission.
Prof M Omar Rahman, vice chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh, said despite many problems, private universities are making progress.
In neighbouring countries, endowment is a major source of fund for such universities, he said, adding that in Bangladesh, those rely upon tuition fees.
Addressing the event, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder of Gonoswasthya Kendra, stressed the need for allocating playgrounds for the mental growth of students.
Franziska Korn, resident representative of FES Bangladesh, said for the functioning of a socially just and inclusive society, higher education is a key factor for all societies.
“That is why we have started a dialogue series on public and private universities where we bring students, faculties, experts, civil society members and government officials together,” she added.
Founded in 1925, FES is the oldest political foundation in Germany. Among others, Prof Iftekhar Iqbal of history department of Dhaka University and Assistant Prof Parvez Karim Abbasi of East-West University also spoke.
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