The education ministry has already finalised a draft policy to allow foreign universities to open up branches, go into joint ventures with local counterparts or operate study centres in Bangladesh.
Officials say the policy was drawn up based on the interests expressed by a number of foreign universities and their branches considering the growing number of higher education aspirants in the country.
However, academics and private university stakeholders have expressed fear that the policy, which is currently under the law ministry’s vetting, would create discrimination between the foreign and local private universities and would allow substandard universities from abroad to flood Bangladesh’s education arena.
The enactment of the Private University Act in 1992 allowed private ventures to open higher education facilities in the country. Currently, there are 70 private universities that are catering to the demand of 300,000 students. The final amended version of the law of 2010 bans operation and conferring of degrees by foreign universities in the country. It also required branches operating to conform to government-formulated guidelines.
However, even as the foreign university policy awaits the nod of the law ministry, the cabinet and the parliament, some branches of foreign universities have already started advertising for admissions in national dailies, violating laws already in place.
An August 23 advertisement published in a leading Bangla-language daily publicised that Commonwealth Open University is offering distance education in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral courses. The tagline, “Earn British Degree at affordable cost at your home,” was followed by nothing but some cellphone numbers that could not be reached by the Dhaka Tribune despite numerous attempts.
University Grants Commission member Atful Hye Shibly said he had not come across the advertisement but would take action if any university published advertisements without permission.
Beyond advertisements, a number of foreign universities already have study centres operating in the country without any prior approval from the ministry or UGC.
On June 4, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told the parliament that 25 such branches are operating in the country. However, UGC officials said the number is much higher and 60 branches or study centres are in operation.
The ministry also found that a number of them did not even have connections with the foreign universities they boasted, and in 2007 and 2012, the government published advertisements in the newspaper about 58 branches operating illegally in the country. Despite that, a number of them still operate to date.
The policy, if passed, would endorse such operations alongside relaxing some requirements in comparison to those of local private universities including space requirements and number of students.
Foreign university branches can open academic activities with only 15,000 square feet of space and 30 students, and study centres would need 10,000 square feet, whereas local private universities require 25,000 square feet of space and at least four schools, under which different departments must run.
Local private universities would have to treat higher studies as a non-profit business organisation under the private university act, whereas those for foreign universities have been kept flexible under the draft policy.
The education minister, however, did not answer when asked if it was necessary to give permission to new universities when a good number institutions were running in the country.
Vice-Chancellor of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology AMM Safiullah said the government had to be careful while giving permission to universities that could run as commercial ventures.
“When the government cannot monitor the existing universities, it remains a concern whether it would be possible to monitor branches of foreign universities.”
He said the government should promote the existing universities so that they could provide quality education.
Professor of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh’s general education department Salimullah Khan expressed fear that some of the provisions in the draft policy would allow low-quality foreign universities to flood the country’s education sector and allow scopes for corruption.
He also called for a uniform policy for both the local and foreign universities.
“When the government seems to be taking the hard-line against coaching centres, they are also promoting the coaching centres [business] as these study centres are nothing but coaching centres.”
Dhaka University professor Fakrul Alam pointed out that many students were already deceived by so-called foreign university branches, and called for strong monitoring from the government. “Government can give permission but there should be strong monitoring so that students are not deceived.”
He also echoed Salimullah and called for a uniform system to avoid discrimination between local and foreign universities.
Vice-President of the Association of Private Universities Abul Quasem Haider pointed out further examples of discrimination. “Under the Private University Act 2010, universities cannot open outer campuses. However, permitting foreign universities to open branches, the government is in principle allowing outer campuses.”
“Most importantly, some branches of foreign universities have been operating for quite a long time without permission. The government failed to regulate them. How can we expect that the government will be able to regulate them after giving permission?”
He said they have no objections if top-ranking foreign universities open branches here, but fear that low-quality universities from neighbouring countries would enter the market and harm quality of education.
Muktadir Rahman, Principal of London School of Commerce’s Dhaka Centre, which has been operating in the country since 1995 without any approval from the UGC or the education ministry, said allowing foreign universities in the market would help increase quality of higher education.
“When there is competition among universities, the quality of the higher education will increase,” he said, adding that the Association of Private Universities is opposing the government decision fearing tough competition from foreign counterparts.
“Giving permission to foreign universities will help Bangladeshi students to earn foreign degrees at home,” he said adding that he believes with proper UGC monitoring, there will be no threat that low quality foreign university branches would flood the country.
UGC chair AK Azad Chowdhury echoed Muktadir saying that giving permission to foreign universities will help the country’s higher education system to reach international standards.
He said that foreign universities would be required to be accredited in their respective countries and thus low quality foreign universities cannot enter the market. He also said the guideline would not have any discriminatory provision.
