A government-formed task force on redefining economic strategies for inclusive and sustainable development has recommended reducing the number of universities in the country through mergers. The task force members believe this approach could ensure better utilization of the limited education budget and improve universities’ positions in international rankings. The report containing these recommendations was submitted last Thursday (January 30) to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
The report suggests that the government should consider merging a few public and private universities to ensure better positions in international rankings. This move could also help optimize the limited education budget, promote resource sharing, and strengthen collaboration among institutions.
Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), played a key role in formulating the task force’s recommendations on education. Speaking to Bonik Barta, she said, “Many universities in our country are of poor quality. The merger recommendation was made to ensure better facilities and quality education. In this case, some public universities can be merged with other public universities, and the same approach can be applied to private universities. However, this doesn’t mean universities will be shut down. Their campuses will remain in the same locations but operate under a single name.”
She further explained, “For public universities, the government itself can take the initiative to facilitate the merger. For private universities, the government can set minimum standards that they must meet within a specified period. If any university fails to meet these standards, they will have to go through the merger process.”
According to University Grants Commission’s (UGC) data, there are currently 170 universities in the country. 55 are public universities, and 115 private are institutions. More than half of these universities were established in the past 15 years under the Awami League government. The UGC reports that 87 universities were established during the period; 26 public universities and 61 private.
Toward the end of the Awami League government’s term, steps were taken to establish 10 new public universities. Among them, the bill for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU), Satkhira Science and Technology University, and Lakshmipur Science and Technology University were passed in parliament last year. The draft law for Dr. M A Wazed Miah Agricultural University was also finalized in the same year. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had given positive opinions regarding the establishment of the remaining six universities.
The number of universities in the country has grown rapidly in recent years. So has the number of unemployed graduates. Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the number of highly educated unemployed individuals has more than doubled in just six years. The 2023 Labor Force Survey reveals that there are 906,000 unemployed individuals with bachelor’s or master’s degrees. The figure was 405,000 back in 2017. This means the number of unemployed graduates has increased by around 504,000 over six years. Experts say that opening universities without ensuring high quality is a major reason behind the rising unemployment among graduates.
Commenting on the matter, AKM Fahim Mashroor, a member of the task force and CEO of Bdjobs.com, told Bonik Barta, “The biggest challenge in university education is our failure to ensure quality. It does not fully align with industry demands. There has been significant investment in this sector, and the government has created many universities. But it doesn’t seem that we need so many. We need to focus on quality over quantity, even if that means reducing the number of universities.”
Education experts argue that over the past 15 years, political considerations have often taken precedence over the actual needs of the job market or the quality of education when new universities are established. In particular, the promise by the Awami League to build public universities in every district, as well as political favoritism in setting up private universities, have played a major role in this trend.
Reviewing the UGC’s latest annual report, it turns out that most universities established in the past fifteen years are lacking essential facilities such as sufficient number of teachers, dedicated campuses, housing, and labs. There should be at least one teacher for every 20 students according to higher education regulations. However, this ideal ratio is not maintained in as many as 63 universities across the country. Out of these, 18 are public universities and 45 private.
Additionally, UGC guidelines require every university program to have at least one professor or associate professor. Yet, 13 public and 60 private universities fail to meet this criterion. Some institutions operate without a single professor or associate professor. This situation is observed in a total of 16 universities across the country—seven public and nine private.
Dr. Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, Vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, spoke to Bonik Barta on this matter. He said, “Ensuring quality education is essential to transform university students into skilled human resources. However, many universities currently lack the necessary facilities, which adversely affects students. In this context, the recommendation to merge some universities is positive. It would benefit students at institutions facing crises, such as a shortage of experienced teachers. Moreover, to ensure quality education at universities, it’s essential to significantly boost their budgets, especially by increasing the allocation for research.”
Public universities have long faced complaints of insufficient budgets. In the current 2024-25 fiscal year, the operational and development budget for the country’s 55 public universities stands at BDT 116.90 billion, with only BDT 1.88 billion allocated for research. Dhaka University received the highest allocation of BDT 8.04 billion, with BDT 200 million for research.
Public universities are expected to conduct educational activities on their own campuses, providing necessary facilities, including student housing. However, 21 of the 55 public universities currently lack permanent campuses, and 17 of them have not even acquired land yet. These universities operate from rented or temporary premises, depriving students of essential facilities such as classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and housing. Even many universities are running their science, biology, engineering, and agriculture departments without the necessary laboratory facilities.
Currently, 21 public universities in the country are providing on-campus housing for less than 30 percent of their students. This means that more than two-thirds of the students at these universities do not have access to accommodation at their campuses. Experts believe that unless these institutions can improve their infrastructure and essential facilities, they would not be able to achieve the expected benefits.
Professor Dr. Md Abdus Salam from the Institute of Education & Research at Dhaka University told Bonik Barta, “What we really need is quality higher education for talented students. In recent years, setting up universities without enough teachers or proper infrastructure has led to a serious decline in education standards. Most students in these new universities are missing out on quality education. If these institutions can’t provide the right facilities and skilled teachers, they won’t be able to benefit the nation.”
Among the country’s private universities, 78 do not have a permanent campus. However, the Private University Act of 2010 mandates that such institute should have their own campus within seven years of establishment. Out of the private universities without their own campus, 56 were founded more than seven years ago. Most of these universities also lack the essential facilities such as classrooms, laboratories, and libraries.
Professor M Tamim, Vice-Chancellor of Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), believes that universities that fail to ensure quality education will become a burden on the state. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, “Several universities in our country lack adequate facilities. Newly established ones, in particular, face severe shortages of skilled teachers and necessary infrastructure. As a result, quality education is not being ensured, and students are not achieving desired success in their careers. The number of highly educated unemployed individuals is rising. If universities are to contribute to national development, ensuring quality education and effective research is essential. However, merging universities is a complex process. There should have been policy recommendations on how this could be done. If the government takes steps to implement the recommendations, public universities might be comparatively easier to merge. But private universities face issues, including ownership complexities.”
Regarding the task force’s recommendations, UGC member Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan told Bonik Barta, “Universities must maintain quality. If universities operate like schools or kindergartens, the state will not benefit. Over the past 15 years, many universities have been established based on political considerations, and most of them are not in good shape. Among the 26 newly established public universities, 21 are still operating from rented or temporary campuses. We are working to resolve various crises at these universities. However, some institutions are in such a dire state that their problems cannot be solved. For those universities, we must explore alternative solutions.”