The National University has 31 lakh students. Among them, only 3.3 lakh are studying science subjects, while the rest of these students are studying humanities.
Meanwhile, 3,000 out of 11,000 students at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University (HSTU) – a science and technology public institution – have no connection with science and technology oriented subjects.
These two are among many examples indicating that science, technology and engineering sectors are being neglected in the country’s higher education institutions.
The world’s higher educational institutions are busy innovating and building skilled students with the aim to cope with the upcoming fourth industrial revolution (4IR). But in Bangladesh, most students at the undergraduate level still stick to enrolments in arts subjects.
According to the University Grants Commission Bangladesh (UGC) Annual Report 2022, only 13 per cent students enrolled in science, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biology, engineering and technology disciplines.
The number of students’ enrolment in arts, social sciences, business studies and other disciplines stands at 87 per cent.
The poor rate of undergraduate students choosing science, technological and technical subjects has been continuing for quite a long time, standing at 11 per cent in 2019, 2020 and 2021, 12 per cent in 2016 and 2017, and 11 per cent in 2015.
According to latest UGC data, altogether 45 lakh students are studying in 53 public universities and 110 private universities across the country at graduation, post-graduation and diploma levels.
Among them, only 8.41 lakh have enrolled in science, technology, pharmacy, technical and agriculture subjects, while 17.15 lakh study humanities, 11 lakh social sciences, and 8.5 lakh business studies.
The Education Ministry for a long time put emphasis on science and technical education, but there is no implication in this regard. Even the gap between university and industry is widening day by day. The industries hire the people for white colour jobs from abroad with high salaries.
Foreign workers employed in Bangladesh’s industrial sector take home around $10 billion in salaries annually as they hold management positions, because of a lack of skilled manpower within the country, former president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Sameer Sattar had said recently.
Education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury on Sunday urged university students to enhance their skill development for success and easy entry in the job market.
The minister added, “Beside regular education, students should acquire technical and soft skills, improve communication skills, and acquire world-class skills for easy employment.
“If the students do not have the skills and qualifications, it will be difficult to get a job with just a graduation degree. So, students will have to achieve skills focusing on employment opportunities.”
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics sources, on average 28 per cent students passed HSC exams from the science stream in 1990. The rate remained unchanged till the date.
The World Economic Forum 2018 report mentioned that about 65 per cent of children entering primary schools today will find jobs that do not exist yet. To succeed in this type of unpredictable labour market, graduates must be lifelong learners, have consistent adaptation, and are willing to go across the industry.
Back in 2021, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies conducted a survey and found that 66 per cent of national university graduates have remained unemployed.
The quality of education at colleges under the National University is substandard. It is necessary to make students skilled in IT to prepare them for the modern age. Investment in these colleges needs to be increased.
A 2020 Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) report mentions that most students from both public and private universities are graduating with poor job-related and other basic knowledge, disqualifying them from the country’s job market.
According to another BIDS study, the unemployment rate among university graduates in Bangladesh was 33.19 per cent in 2019.
A World Bank report titled “Bangladesh Development Update October 2019: Tertiary Education and Job Skills” found that graduates are struggling to find jobs, with more than one-third of them remaining unemployed for one or two years after graduation.
In 2020, a report by the International Labour Organisation estimates that automation will replace the jobs of 137 million people in Southeast Asia within the next 20 years.
Speaking to The Business Post, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ASM Maksud Kamal said, “We have already reduced more than 1,000 seats in 2022. We will do everything to make our students qualified to face the coming days.”
National University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Moshiur Rahman said, “The National University’s constitution does not approve to enroll engineering, technical students. But we are trying to build the students for the fourth industrial revolution. But it will take time.
“We reshuffled the curriculum and included ICT subjects but we have no teachers. The ministry appointed only 220 ICT teachers whereas we need 2257 teachers.”
Situation at private universities satisfactory
The percentage of science, technology, pharmacy and agriculture students at private universities is satisfactory as the number is also higher than in public universities. But only a few of the private universities can ensure quality education.
Around 64 per cent students have enrolled in science, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biology, engineering, and technology disciplines. Besides, 22 per cent students enrolled in business discipline, and the rest of the 14 per cent is from humanities and social sciences.
North South University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Atiqul Islam said, “It is true that the 4th industrial revolution is knocking at the door.
“We should concentrate on science and technology disciplines because we need the manpower with skills of critical thinking, complex problem solving, innovation, collaboration and communication, entrepreneurial thinking, and lifelong learning.”
The North South University is committed to build the world standard graduates so that they can lead the science and technology sectors in the world, he added.
BRAC University Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz said, “This university prioritises addressing critical issues such as public health, poverty alleviation, humanitarian efforts, and climate change.
“Our research encompasses diverse fields, including robotics, artificial augmentation, governance, education, peace and justice, entrepreneurship, and environmental studies.”
What do educationists say?
Dr AKM Masud, former president of the BUET Teachers' Association, said, “The graduates will not have any value in the job market if they lack knowledge about technical and vocational education.
“The curriculum of all the universities must be reformed and a plan must be chalked up to prepare graduates for technical and science based jobs. Now a good number of graduates are still jobless and it will be tough to sustain the country's economic growth in this situation.”
He added, “The country’s universities have apparently failed to produce quality graduates. Technical and science based institutions must be of international standards. The poor quality in technical and vocational education and training can lead us to produce poor products and services.
“We cannot face the 4IR with such substandard manpower with traditional knowledge.”
