On red alert:: New Age Xtra

This article was originally published in New Age Xtra on December 24, 2010

On red alert

Syed Tashfin Chowdhury investigates the pros and cons of the recent education ministry decision to set a deadline on private universities who have failed to shift to their own campuses

A recent government decision, threatening a stop the enrolment of new students to the annual academic sessions of some errant private universities after September 2011, have raised arguments amongst private universities’ authorities and officials of the government departments, assigned to monitor the activities of these institutions. Most of these universities have failed to move to their own locations within the government stipulated time of five years.

Arguments were raised by members of the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh (APUB) that, in a bid to take action against few wayward universities, the government may take drastic measures against institutions which are trying to abide by the government rules. They feel that the government step may actually hinder the ongoing sincere efforts of some universities at moving to their own campuses, as most universities are planning to rely on the revenue from student fees for the development of new campuses.

While talking about the government decision at a press briefing at the education ministry, the education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said on December 12, ‘Out of the 51 private universities, 41 have failed to meet the conditions on which they were given temporary permission.’

According to University Grants Commission (UGC) data, as of December 20, nine universities have met the conditions. ‘Along with the eight that the minister mentioned last week, the Independent University of Bangladesh (IUB) has informed us that they have moved into their own campus in Bashundhara recently,’ says Professor Nazrul Islam, chairman of UGC. He explains that ASA University Bangladesh and East Delta University are the only two who are running for less than five years.

Nazrul points out that the universities have been categorised in five groups in terms of compliance. ‘The first group of nine includes those institutions which already have their own campuses; the second group consists of those who are just waiting to move as the land purchase and infrastructure construction has already been completed or are nearing completion; the third group consists of those who have found land but are yet to begin constructions and so on,’ he says. The fifth group includes those institutions who have not taken any steps to move to their own campuses.

 Besides IUB, the other institutions in Category 1 include North South University (NSU), University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC), International Islamic University, Chittagong (IIUC), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), BGC Trust University Bangladesh, BRAC University and Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT).

The seven universities in category 5 are Darul Ihsan University, Stamford University, Leading University, Sylhet International University, Bangladesh University, University of Development Alternative and IBAIS University.

At the press briefing on December 12, Nahid had also called the indifference of most of these universities in not engaging in activities that can speed up the development of own campuses ‘a matter of great concern’. He added, ‘22 have not taken any such move although they are expanding their activities.’

Expressing his concern that most private universities are located in residential areas, busy roads, restaurant buildings and CNG stations in the city, he added ‘most of the universities are being run as business organisations while some owners are treating the universities as their family institutions.’

Under such circumstances, the minister said that the universities will be allowed to enrol students and to introduce more academic programmes if they could run their activities on their own campuses and provide necessary facilities for students in five years. On the other hand, the errant universities would need to stop enrolling new students, would not be allowed to advertise admission and cannot introduce any more courses or programmes after the September 2011 deadline, the minister said.

‘But the university authorities must take all measures so that the students admitted before September 2011 can complete their academic sessions smoothly as the activities of the defaulters will be limited to the current activities for a tenure of five more years,’ said Nahid.

***
‘Such steps would actually help in making some private university managements pull up their socks and do the necessary within the September 2011 deadline,’ says Kazi Anis Ahmed, Vice-president of University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh and a member of the APUB. ‘Although we did welcome the initiative wholeheartedly from the association, we feel that the recommendations could have come in a more calibrated manner,’ he adds.

Anis shares that while some institutions are deliberately failing the government others are trying to abide by the rules but cannot do so within deadline due to various problems. ‘Then how can an equal punishment be justifiable for both the categories?’ he asks.

He shares that according to the Private University Act of 2010, an institution can apply for an extension of temporary permission by five more years, even after the initial seven year period of the permission has been exceeded. ‘This tacitly acknowledges that a 12-year period would be lawful for any private university before it achieves some stability,’ he says.

He informs that a private university reaches stability only after enrolling around 5,000 to 6,000 students. ‘According to the government act, each student should have a minimum space of 25 square feet. Under such circumstances, an ideal university would need to be on a campus of over three acres,’ he says.

Anis points out that when the price of land per acre in Dhaka is around 60 crore takas, such a piece of land would cost around 180 crore takas, if it is found within the densely populated city limits. ‘However, for the purchase of such land, financing would be required by the universities. But the provision of loans has also been barred through clause 9.3 in the act. The only sources available is either through the revenue collected through tuition fees or through personal loans from the bank, which is usually not too high,’ he says while explaining the dilemma that most private university management is facing.

Anis also feels that the five year deadline to stop non-compliant universities could very well be wrong. ‘Shutting down vital operations would be harmful for the students who eventually get a degree from the private institution. Also, not all students can graduate within five years,’ he says.

Private university officials also point out that not all private universities have exceeded the initial temporary permission period of seven years. Anis informs that although ULAB received the permission in November 2002, it began operations around October 2004. ‘Under such circumstances, ULAB’s actual operational age is around six years,’ he says.

While agreeing that some private universities have turned into money-making ventures, Dr Anwar Islam, Vice-Chancellor (Designate) of Darul Ihsan University, one of the seven private universities in Category 5, opines that one-acre undivided land in Dhaka and Chittagong and two-acre land in other parts of Bangladesh for own campus of private universities should not be the prime benchmark. ‘The quality of education, the services like internet, multimedia, research and other factors being provided to students should also come into play,’ he says.

Islam feels that the minister should have sat down with the APUB members before giving such a deadline. ‘The universities, who mean to do well, should be provided more time for the betterment of the students,’ he says.

He explains that the shutting-down of some universities can create problems for around 100,000 students annually. From around 400,000 HSC examinees, around 250,000 get admission to the public institutions. The remainder goes to the private universities. Shutting down the enrolment of some universities will actually play to the advantage of the bigger private institutions which can raise the tuition fees due to the demand,’ says Islam.

Anis feels that the decision should have been more categorised. ‘The ministry can look into the necessary documents of the private institutions. The one-year deadline can be provided to those institutions who failed to acquire land even after operating for over 12 years,’ he recommends. He also mentions that some of the nine universities in Category 1 moved after 15 to 16 years. ‘There is no reason for the law to be crucial for the new institutions,’ he says.

Islam thinks that the ministry and the UGC should monitor the operations of institutions like Darul Ihsan University. ‘The Darul Ihsan Trust has split into three factions. These factions were responsible for the numerous branches of the university in some district towns of Bangladesh and in some parts of Dhaka. Other irregularities like sale of certificates and so on had also occurred over the past few years about which, he believes, the ministry is aware. Why are actions not being taken against these university managements?’ he asks.

***

Education ministry sources reveal that all the private universities other than ASA University Bangladesh and the East Delta University, who were given temporary permission under the private university act of 1992, have already crossed the five-year deadline to shift to their respective campuses.

Ministry sources also share that most of these 40 private universities are also violating the Private University Act 2010 under which the permanent campuses should be established on a one-acre area in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan cities and on two acres, in other areas, within five years following the issuance of temporary permission. The land size was stipulated as no less than five acres in the 1992 act.

Furthermore, ministry officials sat with owners of private universities on August 18 this year, after the bill was passed in the national parliament. The ministry had asked the owners to inform the ministry about the time required to move to own campuses within the next 21 days.

After failing to respond twice to the ministry directives, on November 22, the private university higher-ups asked for an extension in the temporary permissions by 15 years.

‘This situation has lead to the current decision,’ says Nazrul. He informs that the minister’s comments have helped to speed up the movement of some institutions to own campuses. ‘While IUB informed the UGC about their movement, East West University (EWU) and some other universities may just shift before the September 2011 deadline,’ he says.

‘We would be moving to our own campus in Aftabnagar by June or July of 2011,’ assures Habib Mohammad Ali, Public relations officer of EWU. Despite repeated attempts, senior officials of AIUB could not be reached to comment on the status of their shift.

UGC sources claim that although AIUB had acquired a piece of land around seven years back, the government prior to the BNP-led four party alliance regime took the land away from them. ‘At the moment, AIUB management is looking for a suitable site,’ says a UGC official.

Nazrul divulges that Stamford University had also contacted the UGC. ‘However, they failed to show us one acre of undivided land in Dhaka or Chittagong,’ he says.

Education minister Nahid clarifies that in fact the errant private universities would be getting around two years before enrolment stops as the decision will be valid from the fall session of 2012, which begins from September.

‘Moreover, the new institutions were handed the permissions on the condition that they would move to their own campus within five years. But they are now asking for an extension of 15 years, which is going to be against the interest of students studying in the private universities,’ he says.

Nahid is hopeful that the decision will bring about some positive results for the students, the private universities and the education sector as a whole.

‘We will very soon give temporary permission for the establishment of universities by fresh entrepreneurs, who are ready to conform to all the conditions under the law. Preference will be given to the applicants intending to set up universities outside Dhaka,’ he says to Xtra.