A SERIES of articles published in a Bengali daily on the irregularities of the National University of Bangladesh must have taken many by surprise. The university was established in 1992 to ease the burden of public universities and run smoothly the functions of education in the tertiary level in university colleges. But with the passage of time, heaps of problems seem to have grasped the university. No effective measures have been taken so far though the situation is getting worse day by day.
Session jam has paralysed the university, just as traffic jam paralyses the lives of the Dhaka city dwellers and hijacks valuable time, leaving negative effect on national life. A lack of inter-departmental coordination stands as a significant reason behind the session jam. The university now experiences a three-year gridlock. Students are to spend seven years to complete four-year courses. The university does not monitor how the classes are going on, whether the quality is up to the point or not or whether students can come out of the student life after a certain period of time. The university was given the responsibility to smoothly arrange for exams, grading papers and publishing the results on time. After two decades, it seems the situation stands at the same place as before. It takes one year to publish the results of master's examination. It is one of the main causes of session jam, along with other causes.
The university administration appears to be corrupt from head to toe. There is no sincerity, honesty and financial accountability. Political recruitment of officials and staff, instead of a transparent process of employing officers, teachers and employees can be attributed to it. Administrative officials who received appointment on the basis of political affiliations do not seem to have any accountability, honesty and sincerity to the development of the university. They apparently remain busy making their fortune by fair means or foul. They do not seem to bother about rules and regulations of the university, nor about the higher administration because of their political linkage. Many officials reportedly don't even attend the office regularly, contributing to growing pile of works. After coming to office, many only spend time in the canteens, arranging political matters.
The Bengali daily also mentions that the teachers' salary come from the directorate of secondary and higher education; that the Public Service Commission selects the cadres; that teacher transfer and promotion are looked after by the education ministry itself. Non-government teachers are employed by the National University. A lack of coordination among these bodies contributes to increasing the problem of the university.
In the face allegations of serious irregularities, a fact-finding committee was formed to identify the problems and suggest some measures to address the problematic issues. According to the newspaper report, the committee found that printing question papers in the government press takes a long time which contributes to session jam. The press remains busy with printing orders from various government departments and agencies. Examinations cannot be held timely due the delay. Still no pragmatic step has been devised to address this issue. The university has a fund of Tk 260 crore of its own. So, the university should establish a printing press of its own immediately.
The National University administration has decided to establish six regional offices in six divisions to facilitate the activities of the university. It is argued that the students need not go to Gazipur for the small problems. But many say that it will not lessen the problems rather increase them manifold and corruption will increase as well. In 1999, two regional centres were established at Chittagong and Rajshahi, but they did not show any efficiency. Moreover, the university incurred loss of fifteen lakh taka for it. Who can guarantee that the same will not happen to the new regional offices?
When I talked to the teachers, some more alarming facts came out. Mark allocation in honours courses for the session 2010-11 has not been done yet. No sample question on writing, even after college test examination, has been sent to colleges. This is for the English course. The same may be the case for other subjects. Apparently, holding HSC and degree examinations in colleges hamper the normal classes of honours students. They hardly get due attention because of these examinations. Some new or innovative measures need to be developed but the authorities hardly pay attention to it. Teachers complain that they don't have training to deal with honours students and run academic administration. Many teachers are not suitable to teach in the honours level as they are actually teachers of the intermediate level and degree pass course.
In many colleges, students cannot use seminar rooms, even though they regularly pay fees. Colleges are not buying new books and the university does not take any step regarding the issue. As students cannot read books, newspapers and journals in the seminar rooms, they loiter and use their free time fruitlessly. No monitoring system has been developed in the NU, though there are teachers and officials at the Gazipur campus who can do it.
The attendance of students in the first year is nearly 60 per cent, which comes down to ten and even five per cent with the passing of years. Most of the students remain busy with tuition, business, running coaching centres and investing in the share market, leaving studies as soon as they get admission in the honours level. It is easier for them to memorise some notes and attend the examinations. They aim to get a degree which gives them a certificate, not education in the real sense of the term. The authorities don't have any headache about bringing the students back to the class. Teachers suggest that the university must compel the colleges to send the attendance sheets of the honours students, duly signed by the departmental heads and principal, every three to four months. The university authorities must ask for a definite percentage of attendance in the class to be allowed to participate in the examination. If it is done, students will give importance to participating in the class.
Teachers complain that no research at all is being conducted in the National University. There is no option for sending faculty members outside the country for higher education. Research is the life of a university. A university is ranked on the basis of the quality and quantity of research work. This university seems to be standing a hundred mile apart from the notion of research. In examinations and viva-voce, lobbying gets priority. Syllabuses are changed again and again but the university teachers are hardly invited in the process.
In the ranking of universities, no university of Bangladesh or SAARC countries occupy front positions. But the number of students at the university far outnumbers many universities of the world. It has ten lakh students in more than two thousand colleges. Can we afford to allow these irregularities to continue in the largest university run by public money? Should we play ducks and drakes with the life and education of ten lakh students? In no way do they deserve to face such negligence from the authorities concerned. At any rate, this big national educational institution must be made a real centre of teaching and learning, conducting research and producing quality students so that they can face the world without being the burden of the country already plagued by unemployment.
Source: New Age
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