BANGLADESH RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS JOURNAL

ISSN: 1998-2003, Volume: 11, Issue: 1, Page: 79-86, March - April, 2015
Review Paper

STATUS, ISSUES AND PROSPECTS OF QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION IN

BANGLADESH: IN THE CONTEST OF GLOBAL WORLD

*Malaya Tashbeen Barnamala 1

Malaya Tashbeen Barnamala (2015). Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education in Bangladesh: In
the Contest of Global World. Bangladesh Res. Pub. J. 11(1): 79-86. Retrieve from
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Abstract
Higher education plays the vital role to ensure the prosperity in the developing
countries like Bangladesh. But quality higher education is a challenge for
Bangladesh. This study addressed the challenges of quality higher education in
terms of status, issues and prospects in the contest of globalization. For this purpose
this paper considered education fee, choice of the students and guardians, session
jam, popularity, teaching aids, library facilities, availability of books and journals,
research facilities, and laboratory facilities as main factors to identify quality higher
education.

Key words: Higher Education; Quality of Education; Bangladesh; Public University; Private
University.
Introduction
Education is foremost basic human need among the fives. Any country can reach the
peak of development if they can educate the people of their country. In the global
knowledge economy, higher education has a crucial role in nurturing human capital.
Higher education has enormous potential to promote prosperity in the developing
nations. (Mobasser and Muhammed, 2010).It ensures economic growth, leads social
transformation, and finds solutions to national development challenges. Higher education
endorses social mobility and a high standard of living (Chaudhary, et al. 2009). The
strengthening of higher education is required for enhancing the overall development of
Bangladesh. The cost of higher education in a developing country like Bangladesh is
cheaper compared to developed nations (Bhuiyan and Hakim, 1995). But quality is more
important than cost. It must focus on providing access to high-quality education services.
The key challenges of the higher education system are training the young generation for
the emerging new economy, and improving access and quality of outputs. Adequate
budgetary provision and proper utilization of the same are essential to ensure the
excellence in higher education.
Objectives of the Study
The major objective of this study is to know the status of quality higher education in
Bangladesh. The study has also some other specific objectives like-
 To identify the challenge of quality higher education in Bangladesh;
 To observe the present structure of higher education in Bangladesh;
 To determine the facility of research in case of higher education;
 To estimate the government contribution for higher education of Bangladesh.
Methodology
This study is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. This broad perspective of this study
is to draw a comprehensive scenario on The Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher
Education in Bangladesh. In order to make the study more meaningful and presentable,
data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data has been

*Corresponding Author Email: E-mail: [email protected]

Senior Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, Prime University, Bangladesh
Barnamala 80

collected from 100 students of 5 private universities that are selected randomly. The
secondary data are collected from Internet, different article published in the journals,
magazines, Annual Reports of University grant commission and Different seminar papers
during the period of 2007 to 2012. Non probability sampling has been used to determine
Empirical Result and Analysis. For analyzed the data SPSS 14.0 and Microsoft Excel has
used.
Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education in Bangladesh:
The development of a modern society depends to a large extent on the nature and
standard of higher education. Higher education has enormous potential to promote
prosperity in the developing nations like Bangladesh (Monem and Baniamin 2010).
Education for all and assurance of quality education are the prime objectives of the
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. In the era of globalization, when
intellectual capital is more and more valued both by individuals and nations then higher
education has become significantly important (Sarkar et al 2013). From the perspective of
quality assurance and quality improvement there are a large number of reports and
theoretical works. Spanbauer (1992) discussed the need for educational institutions.
According to education Chaudhary et al. (2009) there is a long run relationship
between economic growth and higher. Andaleeb (2003) analyzed seven issues to
foster higher education in Bangladesh, namely, teaching quality,method, content,
peer quality, direct facilities, indirect facilities and political climate. Lamanga’s (2006)
report on quality assurance in tertiary education in the case of Bangladesh, he
recommended several initiatives that can ensure a quality education system for the
higher learning institutions in the country. According to Aminuzzaman (2007): Quality
education in universities will be achieved through changing the method of teaching
and learning as well as assessment methods, renewing the curriculum continually,
updating and upgrading professional knowledge and skills and improving the
broader educational, administrative and resource environments. Commercialization of
education is creating negative impact on social, economical, political and cultural
environment according to Rahman (2010).
From the review of available related literature it is clear that none of the previous research
had strived to find out the hidden reasons for deteriorating the quality of higher education
in Bangladesh. Thus there is a research gap and as such this study has been planned.
The present view of higher education of Bangladesh can be presented by the following
flow chart.

Structure Syllabus Research facility

Geographic Campus pattern

distribution

Government Operating
financing language
Higher Education
of Bangladesh
Number of Library
students

Choice field Source of

earning

Number of Tuition fee Staff

teacher requirement
system
Figure: Flow Chart of Present Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education in
Bangladesh
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Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education 81

1. Structure of Higher Education in Bangladesh:

There are different types of higher education available in the country. These are:

Figure: Higher Education System in Bangladesh

Source: Ministry of Education, Bangladesh, Report-2012

In Bangladesh higher education consists of a 3 year pass-course or a 4 year honours

course for the bachelor’s degree, followed by a two year Master’s course for pass
graduates and a one-year Master’s course for honours graduates.
2. Geographic Distribution of Universities in Bangladesh:
The higher education system in Bangladesh has expanded significantly during the
decades since 1990. The government committed and planned to establish at least one
public university in the headquarters of each greater district. The government also allows
establishment of private universities anywhere in the country in response to the increasing
demands for access to higher education. Bangladesh has 34 public universities, 60 private
universities, over 2,000 degree colleges and institutes affiliated to National University, 2
international universities, and many other technical and professional higher educational
institutions.

Figure: Geographic Distribution of Public and Private Universities in Bangladesh (2012)

Source: University Grants Commission Report 2012
3. Financing of Higher Education:
For a developing country like Bangladesh, one of the most difficult tasks is arranging
sufficient financing for promoting expansion and quality improvement of higher
education. In other Asian countries, the government finances the major share of higher
education costs. Public expenditure per student in higher education, as percent of GDP

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per capita, was 28.2% in 2009 and it went down to 20.0% in 2011 [Report of World Bank.,
2011] .The allocation for this sector in the national budget is so insignificant as to be nearly
useless for enhancing quality.
Table: Share of University in Education Budget and in National Budget
Fiscal Year Funds Allocated for Universities: Funds Allocated for Universities:
Percent of Education Budget Percent of National Budget
2009 7.35 0.79
2010 7.44 0.78
2011 8.22 0.84
2012 6.48 0.73
Source: University Grants Commission Report 2012
4. Number of Students in Higher Education Institutions:
The number of applicants in higher secondary institutions in Bangladesh is rapidly
increasing. In 2009 the number of passed student in higher secondary certificate (HSC) is
3,44,485 and in 2012 it has increased and become 5,67,940 [University Grants Commission.
Annual Reports, 2007–2012]. On average, 23% of HSC graduates are enrolled in public
and private universities. Others are enrolled in affiliated colleges of National University,
Bangladesh Open University, and vocational and technical courses; and some are
dropouts.
Table: Number of Students Enrolled in First Year of Public and Private Universities
Year No. Students Passed HSC Exam % of HSC Passed Students Enrolled in First Year
of University
2009 344,485 23.7
2010 416,987 22.6
2011 450,254 24.5
2012 567,940 20.6
Source: University Grants Commission. Annual Reports, 2007–2012.
5. Choice Fields of the students
Students choose those subjects that offer good employment opportunities in the job
market.
Business administration is the most popular subject at private universities. Science, health
care, engineering, and agriculture are the next most-chosen subjects of both private and
public university students, followed by arts and social sciences, which include languages,
economics, history, political science, geography, etc. Science is the most favored subject
in public universities.
Table: Number of Students by Field of Study (2012)
Major Field of Study Total Students % of Total
Arts 72,776 14%
Social science 39,471 8%
Education 3,132 1%
Law 33,176 6%
Pharmacy 10,349 2%
Agriculture 16,171 3%
Science 49,054 10%
Science, health care, engineering, and agriculture 123,208 24%
science
Business administration 159,136 31%
MPhil, PhD, PGD,diploma, certificate 5,445 1%
Note: Figures exclude National University and Bangladesh Open University.
Source: University Grants Commission. Annual Report 2012.

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Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education 83

6. Average Tuition Fees Per Student:

Public universities are mostly run by government funds and the students need to bear
a nominal tuition fee. On the other hand the average tuition fee per student in private
universities is nearly five times higher than in public universities.

Figure: Average Tuition Fees per Student (BDT)

Source: University Grants Commission Report-2012
7. Curriculum Reform:
Modernization of curricula and syllabi to reflect new knowledge is one of the essential
tasks of any education system. In the past, curricula reforms were initiated in Bangladesh
but these were not radical. The composition of university bodies, their mode of
functioning, the present system of examination, and the organizational structure of
departments in universities and colleges make rational consideration of any reform
difficult.
8. University Academic Staff Development Programs:
Public and private universities and affiliated colleges under the universities have different
types of staff development programs, outlined below:
(i) UGC PhD fellowship program;
(ii) UGC MPhil fellowship program;
(iii) National and international seminars, workshops, and symposium programs;
(iv) UGC talent scholarship program;
(v) Janata Bank talent scholarship program;
(vi) Scholarship program for gifted blind students;
(vii) UGC professorship program;
(viii) Creation of Rokeya Chair Program.
(i) Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship;
(ii) Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship;
(iii) Commonwealth Staff Split-Sight Scholarship;
(iv) New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarship;
(v) Award of Gold Medal by Prime Ministry;
(vi) SAARC Chair, Fellowship, and Scholarship Program;
(vii) UGC Award; and
(viii) Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program.
9. Number of Public University Teachers by Qualification:
The following table shows the number of teachers in public universities by qualification.
About 10,568 teachers are working in 32 public universities, 3,703 have a PhD and 1,237
teachers have other higher qualifications and 5,628 teachers are without any higher
education degree. In private universities, there are 12,113 teachers as of 2012, but data
on qualifications are not available.

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Figure: Number of Public University Teachers by Qualification

Source: University Grants Commission. Annual Reports, 2007–2012.

10. Research Activities of Public and Private Universities:

At present, the UGC provides a small amount of research support. The UGC are currently
implementing a project called the Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project
(BDT6,810,000,000) for funding research and faculty development of universities with the
support of the World Bank. The UGC has also mobilized research support through the British
Council under the International Strategic Partnership in Research and Education Project.
But public universities spend less than 5% on research activities. The research expenditures
of public universities are very low. Some private universities have quite high research
expenditures but some have none at all.

Figure: Expenditure on Research by Public and Private Universities (BDT)

Source: University Grants Commission. Annual Reports, 2010–2012.
11. Status of Proper Campus:
It is a legal obligation that a university should have a laid out campus for proper
physical, social, cultural, and mental development of the students. Most of the public
universities have adequate land, but most private universities function within very
limited space. Some private universities have their own campuses; a few others are in the
process of developing theirs.
12. anguage of Instruction :
The government emphasizes the use of Bangla as the language of instruction at all levels
of education. Departments in science faculties of public universities encourage
students to use English. Many social sciences and humanities departments allow use
of both Bangla and English by students. The private universities have clearly opted
for English Technical universities use English as the medium of instruction. Affiliated
colleges under National University mostly use Bangla. So a balance is needed between
the pressure of globalization and national needs.
13. Library and Laboratory Facilities:
Library and laboratory conditions are not conducive for quality education. There is no
denying the fact that the use of library facilities by students and teachers have declined
over the years. The teachers in most cases seem to rely on particular texts and the
students seems to possess increasingly poorer language ability to comprehend and
explore the vast expanse of scholarship that the libraries hold. The libraries are poor as
they lack adequate resources to buy recent publications and order for the basic journals.
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Status, Issues and Prospects of Quality Higher Education 85

Likewise, the laboratories suffer from inadequacy of equipments. Import dependence for
such items have made the problems much more complex (Monjur M.M: 2002).
14. Average Income and Expenditure by University:
University income comes from student tuition fees and other sources. In public universities,
income is low because student tuition is low and expenditure is high. The gap is filled by
government funding. In private universities, both income and expenditure are high,
and the income mostly comes from student tuition fees.

Figure: Average Income and Expenditure by University Type (BDT crore )

Source: University Grants Commission. Annual Reports, 2007–2012.
Empirical Result and Analysis
Non probability sampling has been used. Primary data has been collected from 100
students of 5 private universities that are selected randomly. The total sample size is 100. To
process and analyze the data SPSS 14.0 and Microsoft Excel has used. Here the
considered hypothesis is
Ho: Quality higher education of Bangladesh is related with government contribution,
teacher´s qualification, cost of study, and student politics.
β1 = β2 = β3 = β4
Here,
β1 =contribution of government
β2 = qualification of teachers
β3 = cost of education
β4= student politics
Sum of df Mean F R R2 Sig
Squares Square
Regression 61.64 5 12.328 37.117 0.815 0.664 0.000
Empirical Result
This result indicates that this model is significant and there are strong relationship between
dependent and independent variables
Findings and Recommendations
From the above discussion it is clear that limited resources and insufficient facilities are the
major challenges for quality higher education in Bangladesh. So the following
recommend can be considered.
I. Education is neither an economic goods nor an economic service. Economic
goods and services are traded in the market on the basis of commercial
philosophy of profit and maximization of utility. Profit maximization motive of
private investors in education has been minimizing the social objectives of
education including quality. Thus business in education must be stopped by
government intervention.

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II. Teaching profession must be made attractive through offering separate salary
structure so that talented and bright persons with high academic and research
background come into this profession.
III. Politicization and favoritism of employment, posting, and promotion must be
stopped.
IV. A monitoring board under the UGC can be established to assess the quality.
V. Better understanding among teachers and students, introduction of modern
teaching methods and dedication of teachers and students can improve the
quality of higher education in Bangladesh .
VI. Cheaper higher educational opportunities in Bangladesh should be utilized
effectively and efficiently to develop individuals for socio-economic development
of the nation.
Conclusion
Quality higher education changes the society and remains the center of change and
development. Different Education Commissions have theoretically emphasized on
unlocking potential at all levels of the society and creating a pool of highly trained
individuals, who could contribute to the nation building. But in practice the standard of
higher education of Bangladesh has failed to bring any positive change. Quality higher
education should not be a slogan only. It should be a commitment of the government. If
Bangladesh could successfully address the existing challenges of quality higher
education it could provide world class higher education at moderate cost and could
be a model to the whole world.
Reference
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