Survey done properly, with no ill-motive
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has firmly asserted that it had conducted the study on private universities to help establish good governance in this sector, not with a view to undermining any individual or institution.
International standards were followed while conducting the study and information was collected from stakeholders concerned with the sector, TIB said in a statement yesterday.
The anti-graft watchdog's statement came a day after the education ministry's reaction to the report.
TIB, while launching the report, "Private Universities: Challenges of good governance and way out", revealed on Monday that a section of officials at the education ministry, the UGC and private universities were involved in corruption at different stages in the private universities.
The ministry on Tuesday had termed TIB's 'sweeping' statement on transactions of money for setting up universities and appointing VCs, pro-VCs and treasurers 'false'.
It also claimed that TIB had not even contacted any ministry official while conducting the study between June 2012 and May this year.
At a press briefing yesterday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the authorities were surprised to see TIB's report in the media. In his view, TIB should have contacted the relevant bodies before undertaking the study.
TIB, in its statement yesterday, claimed that its researchers had spoken to several officials and employees of the ministry and UGC at different stages of the study.
It had also contacted officials of the ministry and UGC over phone and through SMS regarding explanations of different aspects of information, the statement continued.
Above all, the UGC provided written information on the subject concerned to TIB on March 27, 2014, it added.
TIB has also stated that it does not work on the corruption of individuals, but rather aims at exposing institutional corruption.
The result of the study is not equally applicable to all 22 selected universities, its stakeholders or all the officials concerned. But it gives an idea of the types of irregularities and corruption in private universities, the statement concludes.
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