Vacancy: Foreign degrees only
I love my country and the people of this country, I fight for those who love this nation and embrace the name Bangladesh. But surely some of us have an attitude and mentality problem when it has anything to do with Bangladesh.
I am drawing the attention of the readers to two advertisements published in a local daily on June 6, and June 8, respectively. These advertisements are from two private universities for recruitment of their faculty. What I find disturbing in the advertisements is the qualification(s) sought for the candidates.
A Ph.D. degree required for the position of assistant professor of a particular private university should preferably be from a North American/Canadian university! There are three main countries in North America -- which are Mexico, USA and Canada -- and a host of small countries like Cuba, Bahamas, Costa Rica, etc.
It is, therefore, assumed that this particular private university in question will give preference to candidates with PhDs from any of the countries mentioned above and not to candidates with PhD degrees from Europe, Japan and other countries, leave alone a candidate with a degree from Bangladesh.
What is even worse is the advertisement for the second private university, where the qualification sought for a lecturer position is a Master's degree, preferably from a North American University! This means that even our brightest graduates will be discriminated if there are even second grade candidates with a degree from USA? This really sucks.
These advertisements remind me of a different kind of ad which has always bothered me. There are some house owners who, in their ads for rentals, mention "foreigners preferred."
There is something in our psyche for being negative about everything that is Bangladeshi. I am also reminded of storekeepers who sell beautiful sarees or other dresses that we wear, saying that they are from India or Pakistan even if they are made in Bangladesh. When probed they will answer that they do it for us because we are happy to know that what we are buying is not from Bangladesh!
As I have always taken to task such people who do not have any pride for the country I take very strongly to this attitude of the private universities. It is a blow to my pride and I am, therefore, writing to find how the University Grants Commission, and thus the government, can allow such a discriminatory approach.
However, in the backdrop of this blatant anti-national approach, many a times we hear that private universities will recruit even not the best of our graduates if she/he has a member of the governing body to recommend her/him.
I may be taken to task for the recruitments made in public universities but I find that to be a different issue, which of course, has to be dealt with strongly. My intention for writing this article is the unconcealed lack of nationalism. If a candidate with a North American degree is the best let them take him/her, but why the biased preference?
No one will deny that the main driving force of modern day economy is knowledge, and also there is no denying that research forms an important component in all this. Even though there is a steady decline in students seeking admission to science subjects, we still get the best students coming to study biology.
Among the hundreds of students who graduate each year from our universities are brilliant young professionals who, if given the opportunity, would love to use their talent/knowledge here in Bangladesh -- they represent a constellation of "bright lights" or "rising stars" who, if utilised properly, can boost our national economy in a time of change.
Most of our students are extremely talented in research as well. This we discover when they come to us for their Master's thesis. I have always wished they would stay on to do a PhD here so that we may have the best brains to solve problems of national importance, which in the long run will bring a difference to our national economy. But almost invariably they all opt for a PhD in a foreign country, especially in the USA, because to them there is little value of a PhD degree from Bangladesh.
However, they do not think that what they learn from research here is insignificant but it is the institution, or rather the country where the institution is, that matters to them. To them a degree from Bangladesh will never land them a respectable job even in Bangladesh. Even Dhaka University, where some laboratories are carrying out world-class research, fails to attract them.
How can we blame them when we have employers like the private universities who seek US/Canadian PhDs? Without the best minds in research how can we improve our economy? Why should I carry out back breaking research when our students face discrimination even in their own country?
Each year many of our students go to Japan for their PhDs. We are grateful to the Japanese government for this generous support which we got even at the time of global economic meltdown. We are also grateful for the Commonwealth fellowships for PhDs. in Commonwealth countries, mainly the UK. Then there is Australia and many European countries which offer scholarships for MS/PhDs to our graduates each year.
Are these degrees without merit? However, this is not the question we should be asking ourselves. My question is, how can private universities be allowed to use such an unfair approach in their candidate selection, which to me paramounts to anti-national activity? Can our government turn a blind eye to such discrimination?
Haseena Khan PhD is Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka.
Comments