The poor quality higher education in some private universities is much more dangerous than the lethal anthrax, the chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) said on Tuesday.
“Anthrax can cause harm to some animals and human beings, but poor education in higher studies can kill the prospects the entire nation,” Professor Nazrul Islam said as chief guest at a seminar in the city on Tuesday.
The private Bangladesh University organized the seminar on “Outbreak of Anthrax in Bangladesh: Prevention and Cure” at its Iqbal Road campus in city’s Mohammadpur Area. The university is one of 52 private universities in the country.
Prof Nazrul said the concept of private university was initiated in the early nineties in order to accommodate more students in higher education and check big flow of local students going abroad for expensive education.
“The dream has yielded both positive and negative results,” he said, adding that pressure on public universities has eased but the quality of higher education has been compromised due to weak education from many private universities.
He said the quality of education must be enhanced in public universities as well. Otherwise, he said, the future generations would not be able to cope with the tremendous pressure in the competitive world, especially in the arena of well-paid jobs.
Prof Nazrul, however, said the country still requires more universities in public and private sectors so that the growing number of students could pursue higher education at minimum cost locally. The number of universities in the United States is over 5,000 as against only 85 in Bangladesh, he said, adding the population size in America is just twice that of Bangladesh.
The government has enacted new law that would pursue quality education and reduce tendency of doing certificate business by some institutes, he said, adding that the new law would bring private universities under more responsibility and improve campus environment.
Vice chancellor of Bangladesh University Prof Dr Golam Ali Fakir chaired function, which was also addressed by National Professor Dr MR Khan, Director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Prof Dr Mahmudur Rahman, Prof Dr M Bahanur Rahman of Bangladesh Agriculture University, Prof Dr M Anwar Hossain of Dhaka University, Dr Wahiduddin Mahmood and Dr Kohinur Begum of Bangladesh University.
