Southeast University (SEU) was permitted to admit 2,100 students across three semesters in 2022. However, the university authorities admitted 3,039 students in the same year. Despite being established 22 years ago, it has yet to receive a permanent certificate from the Ministry of Education.
Moreover, the university's teacher-student ratio is 1:29, which is significantly higher than the global standard.
In 2022, SEU spent only Tk 16,000 on research. Despite an annual budget exceeding Tk 85 crore, only Tk 15 lakh was allocated for library and laboratory resources, serving over eight thousand students.
Despite these issues, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has not taken any action against the university for breaching regulations and providing inadequate research funding and facilities.
This situation at Southeast University, located in Dhaka, is reflective of a broader trend among many private universities in the country, where conditions are often worse.
Since the establishment of North South University as the first self-financed university 32 years ago, private universities have proliferated across the country. However, most continue to operate in violation of regulations due to a lack of appropriate punitive action by the education ministry.
According to the Private University Act of 2010, academic and administrative activities must be conducted on the permanent campus after seven years of establishment. However, only 37 universities are currently operating their academic activities on their permanent campuses.
The UGC’s 49th annual report reveals that out of 110 private universities in the country, 91 have been established for over 12 years. This indicates that 54 private universities are operating in violation of the law.
A university must obtain a permanent certificate from the government within 12 years of establishment, but only eight universities have received this certification. According to the law, the remaining universities should cease operations.
Furthermore, many private universities are reluctant to submit their annual audit reports to the relevant authorities.
Out of the 110 private universities currently operating in the country, only 13 have all the required top officials, such as a vice-chancellor, pro-vice-chancellor, and treasurer. According to the UGC’s 49th annual report, 68 universities have vice-chancellors, 29 have pro-vice-chancellors, and 64 have treasurers.
The Private University Act of 2010 stipulates that every private university must regularly hold meetings of the board of trustees, academic council, syndicate, and finance committee.
However, in 2022, six universities did not hold any board of trustees meetings, 17 did not hold syndicate meetings, 13 did not hold academic council meetings, and 12 did not hold finance committee meetings.
Meanwhile, many private universities, including some reputed ones, have hired a greater number of temporary professors compared to permanent faculty members, violating the conditions set by the law.
Education experts in the country have stated that the government must ensure quality education to enable universities to compete on the global stage. However, most private universities are currently prioritising financial gain over providing world-class education.
Despite ongoing legal breaches and various irregularities, the education ministry has yet to take action against non-compliant private universities. The UGC has also apparently failed to enforce discipline among private universities.
Concerned parties indicate that some universities have little regard for the law and are being run according to the whims of their authorities.
Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury told The Business Post that he hopes private universities will adhere to the rules and regulations of the Private University Act of 2010. “We will be compelled to take decisive action against any university found in violation of the law,” he warned.
Many universities operating without permanent certificates
According to the Private University Act of 2010, a private university is permitted to run academic activities on a temporary campus for seven years. Within seven years of receiving temporary approval, along with a five-year grace period, the university must establish its permanent campus and meet other conditions to continue its academic and administrative activities.
If a university fails to fulfil these conditions, the UGC will close its academic activities, including enrolling new students. The UGC is entitled to take punitive actions against institutions that fail to comply with the law.
Of the 110 private universities in the country, 91 have surpassed 12 years since their establishment.
Among these, only 37 universities are currently operating their academic activities on their permanent campuses, and to date, only eight have obtained permanent certificates.
The remaining 54 universities, which have not obtained the permanent certificate within 12 years of their establishment, are operating academic activities unlawfully.
The universities that have obtained permanent certificates are- Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, City University, East West University, Premier University, World University of Bangladesh (WUB), Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology (ADUST), BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT), and University of Asia Pacific (UAP).
Md Abul Hashem Rony, deputy director and head of branding, Communication and PR at Southeast University, told The Business Post that the university would not be providing any comments on that.
Professor Dr Biswajit Chanda, a noted educationist and UGC member, told The Business Post that the UGC has taken many initiatives in the last two years and is working to bring universities under the rules and regulations. “Recently, we have closed admissions at four universities. We will take action against those that are breaching the law,” he said.
Omar Farooq, director of the Private University Division of the UGC, said that they requested the education ministry to seek recommendations from the UGC before awarding permanent certificates to private universities.
Reluctance to submit audit reports
According to the Private University Act of 2010, each university must submit the previous year's financial report to the UGC after evaluation by an approved audit firm. However, only 57 private universities submitted their reports in 2022, down from 61 in 2021.
UGC officials stated that universities consistently show reluctance to submit their financial and audit reports, as the authorities have yet to take any punitive action against them.
Professor Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), told The Business Post that an audit report is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability in an institution.
He emphasised that authorities should take action if they find any breaches of the law or lack of responsibility.
It is worth mentioning that in 2022, the UGC sent letters to more than 26 private universities, requesting documents on their current and previous financial reports. However, the UGC has yet to receive any reports even after two years.
Professor Dr Biswajit Chanda told The Business Post that many institutions are involved in financial irregularities. As a result, the commission has decided to examine the income and expenditure accounts of these universities since their establishment.
“We will take action if we find any irregularities,” he added.
Most private universities neglect research commitments
Despite promises to engage in research and allocate substantial funds for it, most private universities function primarily as teaching institutions rather than research institutions.
The UGC’s 2022 report reveals that 43 public universities spent Tk 120 crore on research, averaging Tk 2.79 crore per institution. In contrast, the 87 private universities spent Tk 288 crore on research, averaging Tk 3.31 crore each.
That same year, the total operational expenditure for public universities was Tk 5,826 crore, compared to Tk 3,689 crore for private universities.
In 2022, the top ten public universities in the country spent Tk 74 crore on research, while the top ten private universities spent Tk 175 crore on research.
However, nineteen private universities did not spend any money on research. Additionally, ten private universities spent less than Tk 1 lakh, and only 14 private universities spent less than Tk 1 crore on research.
What the vice-chancellors say
Professor Dr Atiqul Islam, vice-chancellor of North South University, told The Business Post that they always comply with the directives of the education ministry and the UGC.
“We will do everything for the sake of quality higher education in the country,” he said. “Some private universities are indeed performing excellently, but many are struggling to survive. We are also facing challenges in research as the UGC has yet to permit the introduction of a PhD programme.”
Vice-Chancellor of United International University (UIU), Professor Dr Md Abul Kashem Mia, told The Business Post that the UGC has the right to take action against any university, including UIU, if there is a breach of law. However, he emphasised that the UGC must closely monitor the universities.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University Professor Dr Syed Mahfuzul Aziz stated that every university should meet the UGC’s requirements to ensure quality education.
“We (BRAC University) are ready to follow any direction from the government,” he added.
Opinions of Education Experts
Professor Dr Syed Anwar Husain, former lecturer of Dhaka University's history department, criticised the government for the poor state of private universities in the country.
He questioned how these institutions have been able to operate in violation of the law for such a long time.
Professor Siddiqur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, told The Business Post that the government has been approving new private universities without ensuring they have an adequate academic environment.
He noted that many existing universities have failed to meet legal requirements.
“If the government strictly enforced the law, many private universities would have been closed. It is unclear why the education ministry has not taken more decisive action against universities that have been violating the law,” he asked.
