Research and innovation in higher education are a basic and important task for any country seeking to achieve intellectual and economic growth, but most universities in Bangladesh are neglecting the endeavour by skimping on research spending.
Universities are spending a meagre amount of their annual budget for research work, resulting in Bangladesh performing poorly in Global Knowledge Index 2022.
Prepared by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, the latest annual report shows that the private universities spend nearly three times the funds on research compared to public universities.
For research, public universities spent only 2 per cent of their annual expenditure, while private universities spent 7.8 per cent.
The Global Knowledge Index 2023 is also disappointing for Bangladesh, especially in the Research, Development and Innovation sector.
According to the report, Bangladesh is a weak performer in terms of its knowledge infrastructure. It ranked 112th out of 133 countries and 21st out of the 25 countries with medium human development.
Bangladesh achieved 36 points out of 100, where the global average is 47.5 points. Bangladesh achieved only 17.36 out of 100 in the Research, Development and Innovation sector. In the higher education sector, it achieved only 33.75 points out of 100.
Speaking to The Business Post, Dhaka University Economics Department Prof Dr Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee said, “There is a lack of coordination among government, industries and universities for conducting research.
“Through the UGC, the government must take a serious initiative to ensure quality research and allocate a large amount of money in this regard.”
He added, “In the developed nations such as the USA, Australia, England and Canada, the government allocates money for research targeting selective topics or areas. But in Bangladesh, no such initiative is underway.
“The government should select some universities, especially engineering, agriculture and general universities, for research. The university researchers will be compelled to conduct quality research and publish their work in international journals.”
In most cases, the universities spend their research allocation on salaries and official expenses. Transparency and standard allocation are a must for sound research. Only the government can ensure this, he added.
Research spending of universities
The UGC’s 2022 report shows that 43 public universities spent Tk 120 crore for research – Tk 2.79 crore on average. Meanwhile, the 87 private universities spent Tk 288 crore – 3.31 crore on average.
That same year, the total operational expenditure of public universities stood at Tk 5,826 crore, which was Tk 3,689 crore for private universities.
The data indicates that private universities are ahead of public universities in terms of spending research funds, and research papers as well.
Ten public and nineteen private universities did not spend any penny for research. Even ten private universities spent below one lakh, and only fourteen private universities spent below Tk one crore on research.
Fareast International University spent Tk 1.8 crore and Bangladesh Islami University spent Tk 10.2 crore on research, but published no research papers.
On the other hand, nine public universities spent below Tk one crore on research. Rest of the thirty-four universities spent above Tk one crore on research.
Prof Dr Syed Anwar Husain, noted academic and former teacher of history at Dhaka University, said they have been pushing for an increase in research funds, but he is still not happy with the allocation for research.
Research is related to socio-economic development of a country. But Bangladesh always neglects research by allocating poor amounts of money.
Serajul Islam Choudhury, professor emeritus of Dhaka University, said, “The government should allocate more funds for research, and put pressure on universities to concentrate on quality studies.
Prof Dr Siddiqur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, said, “A university’s main task should be generating new knowledge to enrich the country through research activities.
“But it is disappointing that the public and private universities in Bangladesh are not doing effective research.”
He added, “We need basic research and a good amount of money is needed for this purpose. But the country's public universities do not get sufficient funds, while most private universities are reluctant to spend money on research.”
Public universities spending less
There are 56 public universities – including National and Open University, and 108 private universities with about 42 lakh students in the country. Only 3.5 lakh students study at private universities.
In 2022, the top ten public universities in the country spent Tk 74 crore for research, while the top ten private universities spent Tk 175 crore for research.
The Dhaka University spent the highest amount of money for research with Tk 15 crore. But its total operational expenditure was Tk 728 crore. That means Dhaka University spent only 2 percent from its total budget for the research in 2022.
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) spent only Tk 8 crore on research and its total operational expenditure, including teachers and employees’ salaries, was Tk 136 crore. The university spent only 1.7 per cent of its expenditure on research.
Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr ASM Maksud Kamal Akhtaruzzaman said, "We are now concentrating on doing quality research, and will try to increase research funds.
“We are going to organise an innovation fair in the first week of March to encourage the researchers in the country. I hope we will do better research in a short period of time.”
Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, vice-chancellor of SUST, said, “We need more research funds for doing quality and global standard research. We will be one of the best research institutions in the future.”
Few private univs in good position
BRAC University is the highest spender on research among both private and public institutions. The university spent Tk 59 crore on research, which is almost near the top ten public universities’ research funds combined.
The Brac University spent Tk 758 crore in 2022 and the spending in research by percentage was almost 8 per cent.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor of Brac University Prof Dr Syed Mahfuzul Aziz said, “At BRAC University, our research initiatives are driven by a steadfast commitment to knowledge generation, the promotion of human values, and the advancement of sustainable development.
“We prioritise 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.”
The North South University spent Tk 8 crore [4 per cent of total expenditure] for research, and its total operational expenditure was 302 crore in 2022.
Professor Dr Atiqul Islam, vice-chancellor of North South University (NSU), said the motto of NSU is to generate knowledge, and distribute it to the world. The NSU has no funding constraints.
NSU is providing funds as per researchers' needs and they must produce quality and world standard work.
Public universities ahead in publications
In terms of research, the top ten public universities published 28,091 research papers, while the top ten private universities published 2,597 papers.
Professor Emeritus of Brac University Dr Manzoor Ahmed said, the number of publications is not the key factor. A research paper should be effective and provide something new. A good paper can be more effective than a hundred papers if it showcases new research.
Prof Dr Siddiqur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, said, "The number of research papers and funds are equally important.
“But the papers should be standard and must be published in international journals.”
