Over the past few decades, several universities in China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian countries have climbed significantly in international rankings. The United Kingdom–based education and research organization Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) publishes various global rankings of higher education institutions each year. According to their rankings, among the world’s top 100 universities, five are in China, one in Malaysia, and two in Singapore. While no Indian university made it to the top 100, three have secured places within the top 150.
An analysis of recruitment notices from top-ranked universities shows that they place the greatest emphasis on research expertise and teaching experience when hiring faculty. For most universities, a Ph.D. degree is the minimum qualification for teaching positions. In the QS rankings, the National University of Singapore holds the 8th spot, Peking University in China ranks 14th, Tsinghua University 17th, the Universiti Malaya in Malaysia 58th, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 123rd, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay 129th. All six universities require a Ph.D. as the minimum qualification for faculty appointments. However, for certain disciplines such as medicine, postgraduate training has been set as the requirement instead of a Ph.D.
Bangladeshi universities, on the other hand, still do not give similar importance to research expertise or a Ph.D. degree at the entry level for faculty recruitment. Recently, Jahangirnagar University (JU) initiated steps to draft a new recruitment policy. Although not yet approved, the draft has been finalized. According to the policy, in the 100-point selection process for hiring lecturers, SSC results account for 5 points, HSC 10 points, honors 45 points, and master’s 20 points. In contrast, a Ph.D. degree is assigned only 5 points—less than the weight given to higher secondary results.
This is not unique to Jahangirnagar University; similar practices are seen in almost all public universities. Even when point distributions by academic level are not specified, Ph.D. holders are often overlooked in many recruitment cases.
Speaking to Bonik Barta, JU Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan said, “We did not have any policy before. After a long time, we prepared a draft policy through the policy committee, then discussed it in the academic council. The syndicate also made further revisions. It requires everyone to get accustomed to it. We do not want to impose anything by force. This policy is still experimental. The discussion on the points for a Ph.D. is ongoing, and there will be opportunities to revisit these issues in the future.”
University of Dhaka (DU), Bangladesh’s first higher education institution, was established in 1921. Since then, a total of 171 universities have been founded over the past century—56 public and 115 private. However, despite the increase in numbers, the quality of education has failed to improve, as reflected in various international rankings. According to this year’s QS rankings, no Bangladeshi university made it to the list of the world’s top 500 institutions.
Education experts say that one of the main reasons for the failure to ensure quality education in the country’s universities is a weak recruitment system. They note that while other countries prioritize research and expertise in faculty appointments, Bangladesh does not. Nepotism and political influence in recruitment also result in qualified candidates being overlooked. As a whole, this affects classroom teaching, depriving students of quality education and leaving teachers ill-prepared to meet modern standards.
Dr. Abdus Salam, a Professor at the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at the University of Dhaka (DU), told Bonik Barta, “The skill level of the country’s future generations depends on how skilled the teachers in educational institutions are. Our education sector faces budget shortages and many other crises. But the biggest crisis was created during the past Awami League government through the recruitment of incompetent teachers.”
Allegations surrounding teacher recruitment at universities have persisted for years. According to data from the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC), at least 8,800 individuals were recruited by universities over the past 15 years. Currently, 54 percent of teachers employed in public universities were appointed during this period. Many have faced allegations at of nepotism, political favoritism, relaxed qualifications, and financial transactions leading to unlawful appointments. A 2016 publication by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) highlighted allegations of political influence, excessive recruitment beyond official announcements, manipulation of exam results, and other irregularities in lecturer appointments at public universities. The report even revealed financial transactions ranging from BDT 300,000 to BDT 2 million for such positions in eight universities.
Tuhin Islam, a former student of the University of Dhaka, told Bonik Barta, “We had many teachers who couldn’t teach well, got angry when asked questions, and often gave low marks on exams because of it. Many were involved in political activities and didn’t take regular classes. In most cases, they were politically appointed. Recruitment rules were relaxed for many of them. As a result, we completed our education with significant gaps. After graduation, while preparing for jobs, we had to learn many things on our own that should have been taught during our academic life.”
He added, “If recruitment requirements were stricter and research was prioritized, political appointments would not have been possible. Teachers also wouldn’t have gotten so deeply involved in politics instead of teaching.”
Undergraduate programs began at China’s Tsinghua University in 1925, around the same time as the University of Dhaka. Yet in the QS rankings, Tsinghua ranks 567 places ahead. In the 2025 QS rankings, the University of Dhaka stands at 584th. According to Tsinghua University’s website, anyone wanting to join as a young faculty member must have a PhD and at least two years of teaching experience.
By contrast, the University of Dhaka’s lecturer recruitment notice states that candidates will be given preference if, in addition to meeting other qualifications, they hold a PhD and have published research in recognized journals. Recently, in the university’s Urdu department recruitment test, a candidate with good undergraduate and postgraduate results and a PhD was rejected because they did not have strong grades in secondary and higher secondary exams.
DU’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Sayema Haque Bidisha said, “While having a PhD degree is important, we give greater priority to its quality, along with related research and publications. We are working on how to incorporate international-standard research, journal publications, and academic contributions into faculty recruitment. This process has already begun, and steps will be taken to institutionalize it further in the future. Often, we allow talented young people to join the faculty right after completing their master’s degree so they can get involved in research while being part of the university. Later, they are encouraged to pursue a PhD. For us, this works as a kind of grooming process.”
Emphasizing the need to develop research-oriented faculty and increase the number of PhD holders in the long run, she added, “We are working to expand joint research, exchange programs, and opportunities for higher education with international universities. Our goal is to make the PhD an even more important criterion in faculty recruitment in the future. But to achieve that, we must also strengthen the education system, facilities, and research infrastructure in our country.”
University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Dr. SMA Faiz said there are not enough PhD holders to meet the needs of universities across the country. Speaking to Bonik Barta, he said, “PhD holders are given importance in recruitment. In many cases, they are directly appointed as Assistant Professors. In the past, there were various allegations regarding faculty recruitment. We all want to ensure transparency in every case so that such incidents are not repeated. Everyone is working toward that goal.”
On the issue of allocating marks for PhDs in recruitment, he said, “If educational qualifications are graded, then the marks for a PhD should definitely be more than five. However, regardless of the score, PhD holders will naturally have an advantage over others. We have taken various initiatives to encourage research among faculty members, including funding for research. We hope our universities will achieve better positions in the future.”