All taxes on private universities should be waivered

World University of Bangladesh has been established with a vision to provide utilitarian education for economic emancipation without undermining the ideals and aspiration of the nation. Our mission is to build up a University of distinction enabling students to flourish academically, individually, and socially through utilitarian education at affordable cost and with an exciting range of programs that are continually updated to reflect the latest developments.

We have conceptualized utilitarian education in terms of choosing the courses that give quick yield. Therefore, we have courses like Business Administration, English, Law, Civil Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Computer Information System, Textile Engineering & Pharmacy. The courses other than Mechatronics Engineering are traditional in nature but have got wider markets for paid employment and self employment. The Mechatronics Engineering is yet an unknown area in Engineering Education. It is the synergistic combination of several branches of engineering with heavy emphasis on Robotics and computing that enables a graduate to do the jobs of a number of engineers.

The second element of utilitarian education is the imparting of quality education. The offering of utilitarian courses without due emphasis and importance to quality will not bring the desired results. Therefore, we have adopted quality education as one of our significant goals. We understand there are several determinants of quality education, such as understanding of vision, mission, objectives and functions of the university, the infrastructural facilities, quality of students, the qualified, experienced and dedicated teachers as well as surveillance by an independent and unbiased Accreditation Council.

By now, we have added all elements or determinants of quality education except the permanent campus which is on way to completion. The permanent campus located at the heart of Uttara residential areas will be an attractive one in all respects to the stake holders.

All along I have been ardent and passionate supporter of Accreditation Council.  To equip us with the demand of Accreditation Council, we have already instituted the Quality Assurance Cell, Institutional Quality Assurance Program with the funding and help of HEQEP project and our own contribution. 

We believe that investment in education must bring return in order to sustain self and societal development. In the grooming & pattern, we charge very low fees, provide lot of facilities and scholarship for needy and meritorious and support transfer of grades and employment after graduation.

We have more than 10 thousand alumni in the market; none of them is reported to have remained unemployed.

But we believe the most important determinant of quality education is teacher and more specifically the qualified experienced and dedicated teachers. To attract such teachers, we have adopted several strategies and tactics of recruiting, training and development of the teaching staff without overlooking the need for auxiliary staffs. We strictly follow the guide lines of UGC and make changes only when situation demands so. 

We conduct induction programs for the newly recruited teachers where each and every teacher is given inputs for teaching and research methodology. They are encouraged to do research and publish them in our Journals of Population & Health, Journal of Business, Journal of Arts and Humanities, Journal of Science and Engineering as well as in journal for each specified department. Certain percentage of the recurring expenses is earmarked for research. All researches conducted through the Centre of Excellence.

We have exchange programs with as many as 36 universities in 5 continents of the World.

Of course, we have faced a number of problems in steering our affair. One of them is the imposition of different types of tax including tax at sources, VAT and income tax.  The government by its action has changed the basic characteristics of the private universities, nay all the universities. The universities are not supposed or mandated by their Act to pay any amount of tax. Recently, the decision of the high court waiving all taxes on private universities is a right decision to right direction. 

However, we urge the govt. to modify the present Act by eliminating the provision of three names for the post of Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor and Treasurer for each university, embargo on mortgaging university properties to obtain loan. At present hundred of talented people are required to man the higher echelon of the administrative structure and teaching of the private university. A  time will come when every individual having a first class degree in Bachelor and Master program or having PhD with third class in SSC , HSC or Master program shall have a fair chance of becoming boss of private universities, unless some modification is brought about in the Act. Most universities will be crippled unless some financial leverage is offered to the universities.

The private universities must be given opportunities to frame their service rules and compensation packages and for running of the PhD programs with each one's resources or pooled resources of public & private universities. A system of transfer of teachers may be introduced which shall cross fertilize the condition of the less developed universities.

Large Chunk of government scholarship must be channeled for private university teachers. All baseless and derogatory propaganda against the private universities must be carefully avoided. All particularization as opposed to generalization we shall welcome in this respect.