There are 54 private universities now in Bangladesh. Most universities have science-technology and engineering faculties that are mainly composed of modern and attractive science based technological subjects like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering (ETE), Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Textile Engineering and Architecture etc. The University Grants Commission (UGC) is the apex body for the universities and almost all activities done on their guidelines or instructions. Course approval, faculty recruitment, laboratories-inspections and other important works are done under auspices or control of the UGC. Previously, the subjects mentioned taught in the higher technical institutes like BUET and BITs. Unfortunately, the chair of the UGC is neither scientifically literate nor technologically qualified. He holds the supreme power and the members are normally not scientifically literate even if there is one - he conceives the ideas of fifty years back. This culture is going on since two decades. There is another saddest part - Vice-Chancellors in almost 90% private universities are neither scientists nor technologists.
As a result, a big gap of interactions creates among the students, teachers, VCs, UGC Chairman and the guardians who send their sons and daughters to the private universities with the expectation that their kids will come out from the university transforming to an all round scientist, technologist or engineer.
More over the lab conditions in most universities are very poor. The tools, particularly ICT related tools, purchased for the labs are similar to game tools used by the school students of the developed countries. Because of lack of scientific knowledge among the UGC Chairman and members, VCs, Chairman of the governing body, unwanted situations create almost everyday in the universities. One of the main reasons of creation of such problems is - they are all afraid of technologies and they want to remain far from discussions on issues related to technologies. The most alarming news is - no body is there to listen to the problems of the students, teachers, guardians and others concerned, because they don't know the solutions, while technology is all pervasive and it can solve all problems if handled by a real technologist.
There is a bright example in front of us that created due to inspection of the high power committee of the private universities in 2004. On basis of the committee report, affiliations of eight private universities cancelled. Among the eight universities, four universities are located far from the capital city, two universities run under women supervision, and the VCs or Chairmen of the governing body of four universities are scientists or engineers. One university is the BGC Trust University located in a rural area in Chittagong and its founder Chairman is a famous engineer. The founder of the Comilla University is an eminent academic scientist and former Chairman of the UGC. The founder and Vice-Chancellor of the Amban University is a highly qualified senior engineer. Pundra University of Science and Technology (PUST) located in a village of Bogra and the VC is a globally accepted academic scientist.
The most interesting point to note is that none of the members of the inspection team at least in the case of PUST (Bogra), is scientifically literate or technologically qualified enough to realize scientific and technological gaps created due to remoteness and environment. The concept of establishing an ICT based university naming initially as AAIT University in remote area came from Ms. Judy Johnson, the then Secretary of the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) of Commonwealth Secretariat, London. She visited the area, in connection to empower the women scientists, technologists and researchers of Bangladesh in 1997 and 2000. She enabled 112 women scientists, technologists and researchers of Bangladesh to empower with ICT knowledge from 1996 to 2004 under auspices of Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) of Commonwealth Secretariat being a member country of the Commonwealth.
It must be agreed that the observation in a technology rich university performed by a scientist and a non-scientist will surely make a big difference and that really happened in the case of PUST in Bogra which is neither my birth place nor I visited before organizing ICT training programmes for the medical scientists of the north Bengal in 2000. As a result, not only the students, guardians or teachers suffered but the VC suffered a lot, probably the worst in the history of VCs of global universities. It is due just to lack of awareness and knowledge gaps between the scientists and non-scientists associated with the private universities, and the UGC Chairman and his associates not excluded from the list.
The probable solutions: The UGC- Chairman should be well qualified and experienced in academic, industrial and research fields at home and abroad. He must have vast knowledge in modern technology subjects so that he can participate in competition in global challenges in science and technology events where he can raise the success and failure stories of science and technology in Bangladesh. He can also raise the necessities and immediate requirements of Bangladesh to international supporting bodies like UNESCO, Commonwealth, IDRC, ICSU, TWAS etc. to fulfill the gaps between the technologically developed and developing countries like Bangladesh. Those should be the main jobs of the UGC Chairman as we find in attending international scientific events organized by the related donor agencies. Through participation in such events and exposing himself to the world famous talents, academics and scientists, he can create a prestigious position in one of those international organizations. Dr. Wahed Uddin Khan, the present assistant secretary general of UNESCO is from our neighbor country and he was in similar position in India. The chief of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is also from IGNOU, a lady from one of the troubled areas has reached to the position. In any event, she starts her speech describing where she comes from and where she is now. No barrier, no obstacle, very deliberately responds her global colleagues to any question. Can you imagine how our neighbor participants feel when they find their country people are chairing most of the sessions organized by UNESCO or similar bodies and how we feel? The reality is we try to become their friends, dada or uncle just to maintain our positions. They don't put barriers rather they accept us like the scientists-neighbors from other countries. The example shows us how and where we are poor. We are poor neither in resource nor in wealth. Our poverty lives in our mind. We will have to fill our empty mind with open mind.
The universities having science and technology faculties must have scientifically literate VC or Pro-VC. Or the science-technology and engineering faculties should be shifted to science based technology universities that run only scientific and technological courses at under graduate and graduate courses. Otherwise, we will have to face so serious disastrous situations that difficult to predict now.
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