Private universities in Bangladesh have significantly contributed to national development by producing market-relevant graduates and reducing the trend of studying abroad, thereby saving currency and fostering a workforce in both multinational and domestic companies.
However, to meet future challenges, these institutions need to enhance their research capabilities and ensure quality education, said United International University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Abul Kashem Mia in a recent interview with The Business Post’s Mir Mohammad Jasim.
What is the contribution of private universities to nation-building activities?
In the 1990s, students began going abroad for higher education. The owners of private universities like UIU saw a huge potential in establishing higher educational institutions to meet the demand.
The motto of the private universities in Bangladesh was to discourage students from going abroad. Now, private universities save the country’s currency and play a vital role in bringing in remittance. It was a successful initiative, as many students now study here instead of at foreign institutions.
Private universities have produced more than 3 million graduates since 1992. These graduates have been meeting the demands of the job market in Bangladesh, and many of them are working in different multinational companies like Google, Amazon, and others.
What is the vision of UIU?
The slogan "Quest for Excellence" encapsulates our vision. We strive for excellence in our academic, administrative, and other activities. UIU is distinctive because of this slogan.
We are committed to developing our students into skilled and knowledgeable individuals who can compete internationally. We are also working towards making UIU one of the best higher education institutions in the world.
Are UIU’s subjects market-oriented?
Our research team monitors the market situation and recommends the introduction of new educational disciplines to ensure our graduates can secure employment easily. We also emphasise industry-academia linkage and maintain strong relationships with various industries.
Why are you still not on the top list of international rankings?
We intend to participate in all ranking competitions, but improving our rankings requires time. We have shown excellent performance in many areas. However, we face challenges such as the lack of PhD programmes, as the education ministry has not yet granted permission for it.
We are lagging in rankings due to the absence of PhD programmes. Unlike universities in other countries, we have no PhD students. I am unsure why the ministry has not yet introduced the programme. Ideally, such programmes should be established based on a university's capabilities, without distinguishing between public and private institutions. I will request that the education ministry prepare guidelines for the programme.
What is the uniqueness of your university?
Our university is unique in its aim to become one of the best institutions in the world. There is no interference from the Board of Trustees in our activities. We enrol new students only through admission tests. Our teacher recruitment process is highly fair. We have the largest green campus in Dhaka city and offer the most financial aid each semester based on academic results.
Our Center for International Affairs and Cooperation helps students transfer credits to universities abroad, achieve better IELTS and GRE scores, and enrol in student exchange programmes with foreign universities.
Do you promote extracurricular and co-curricular activities?
We consider extracurricular activities to be a fundamental part of education for students' mental improvement and leadership development.
UIU hosts many clubs and forums that engage students in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. These opportunities help students develop leadership qualities, work collaboratively in groups, and steer clear of extreme ideologies.
UIU students have consistently won international awards for their excellent performances in debates, business idea sharing, and other activities.
What are your initiatives for research?
Our centres such as the Center for Development of IT Professionals (CDIP), VLSI Training Academy also known as VTA, Power and Energy Training Academy (PETA), Cisco Networking Academy, and Centre for Energy Research (CER) are dedicated solely to research and innovation.
We also have a research hub. Approximately 90 per cent of solar energy projects in Bangladesh are designed and consulted by the CER at UIU.
We invest a significant amount of money in research activities. We allocate all this funding to teachers for publishing their research papers in international standard journals. We engage students in research and award them academic credits for their contributions. We are also striving to commercialise our innovations.
Our main goal is to become the leading institution for research and innovation in South Asia. We are committed to making a significant impact on the nation, and we believe we can achieve this.
What challenges is UIU facing?
Our primary challenge is finding quality teachers. We are currently experiencing a shortage of adequately skilled individuals to fill teaching positions. However, we remain hopeful and are actively searching for qualified educators.
Lastly, I would like to emphasise the need for government support to enhance our efforts. The mindset of our regulatory bodies needs to evolve. They must treat every institution equally and eliminate all forms of negative influence to uphold the standards of quality higher education.
