Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), the country’s first science and technology university, was established in 1987 with the goal of expanding higher education and research in science and technology. But things have changed quite a bit since then. According to the latest annual report from the University Grants Commission (UGC), SUST now has 8,115 students enrolled. Surprisingly, around 43 percent of them are no longer studying science or tech-related subjects. 2,666 SUST students are currently enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences, and another 818 are studying in the Faculty of Business Studies. That is nearly half the student body enrolled in non-STEM programs.
Currently, there are nine departments at SUST that fall outside the core fields of science and technology. These include Bangla, English, Social Work, Sociology, Public Administration, Anthropology, Business Administration, Political Studies, and Economics. These departments have a combined total of 185 faculty members.
This trend is not only unique to SUST. Similar situations exist in 11 of the country’s 13 science and technology universities. Only two—Pirojpur and Sunamganj Science and Technology Universities—have stayed focused exclusively on STEM disciplines. In the others, more than one-third of students are pursuing degrees in humanities, social sciences, or business. Yet, these universities were originally established with a very specific mission: to promote education and research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
In response to this growing disconnect, the Ministry of Education has recently issued four directives aimed at realigning these universities with their founding purpose. Letters containing the instructions have been sent to the vice-chancellors of all science and technology universities. One of the key points in the directive is clear: no subject outside of the STEM fields should be included in the academic curriculum of these institutions. For those universities already running programs outside STEM, the ministry has instructed them to phase them out or shut them down within the shortest possible time.
But not everyone agrees with this approach. Several academics argue that past university leadership is partly to blame for the current situation. Many former vice-chancellors, they say, were involved in corruption and irregular recruitment. Some allegedly introduced unnecessary departments just to create new hiring opportunities. Even so, experts feel that abruptly shutting down these departments is not a reasonable solution either.
Professor Dr. Abdus Salam from Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research explained, “The big question is whether we really need this many science and technology universities in the country. Most of them were set up for political reasons, and their vice-chancellors were often appointed based on political loyalty. Naturally, those in charge added more departments and hired their people, even when those departments didn’t align with the university’s core focus. The government at the time backed them.”
He added, “It’s only logical that science and technology universities should prioritize STEM subjects. But shutting down non-STEM departments overnight is not a practical solution. If this principle had been followed from the beginning, that would be different. Now that these programs already exist, we need to think about how to move forward. We still need skilled graduates in humanities, social sciences, business, and even law. But when it comes to approving new departments in the future, the focus should definitely return to science and technology.”
According to the latest annual report from the University Grants Commission (UGC), a total of 60,155 students are currently enrolled across the country’s 13 science and technology universities. Surprisingly, over 21,397 of them—about 35.57 percent—are studying in faculties that have nothing to do with science or technology, like arts, social sciences, and business studies.
Among all these universities, Gopalganj Science and Technology University (GSTU) tops the list with the highest number of students in non-STEM subjects. Out of its 11,436 students, 5,406 are enrolled in such programs—that is nearly 47.27 percent. Other universities show a similar pattern: at Rangamati Science and Technology University (RMSTU), 47.22 percent of students are in just two non-STEM departments; at Pabna Science and Technology University (PSTU), eight departments account for 43.70 percent; Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) has 12 departments with 43.40 percent; Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) has nine departments with 42.90 percent; Chandpur Science and Technology University (CSTU) has 33.33 percent of students in the management department; Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) has 30.52 percent in eight departments; Jamalpur Science and Technology University (JSTU) has 29.97 percent in two departments; Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) has 21.64 percent in seven departments; Jashore Science and Technology University (JSTU) has 20.92 percent in five departments; and Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) has 17.07 percent in four departments under non-STEM faculties.
This trend has not been without controversy. In fact, several universities have seen student protests over the approval process and the naming of degrees. Back in 2023, students from the Bangladesh & Muktijuddho Studies (BMS) department at Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) staged a three-month-long protest demanding a change in the name of their degree. They claimed the department was launched by former Vice Chancellor Dr. M Wahiduzzaman to boost his public image. But since the subject was new in Bangladesh, graduates were facing serious challenges in the job market. Right now, NSTU has 12 departments under humanities, social sciences, law, and business administration faculties.
During Dr. Whiduzzaman’s tenure, the university even introduced an entirely new department called Education Administration—something that does not exist in any other university in the country. This led to complications, especially in faculty recruitment. A teacher from NSTU’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The former VC was a professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research. After he became VC, he created a new faculty named Education Sciences and opened two separate departments—Education and Education Administration—even though they offer the same courses. The goal was clearly to recruit more of his favored candidates. Besides, his wife was a professor in Sociology at Dhaka University. After he took over as VC, he also opened a Social Work department alongside Sociology. That was another move for recruitment business. These decisions drew heavy criticism at the time.”
NSTU’s current Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mohammad Ismail, said, “Science-related subjects are more justified at a science and technology university. But our university already has several departments outside that scope. After receiving the ministry’s letter, we formed a committee to draft an academic master plan. We’ll make decisions about those departments based on the committee’s recommendations.”
Gopalganj Science and Technology University had launched its History department in the 2017–18 academic year without UGC’s approval. In 2020, students started campaigning to get it officially recognized. UGC finally approved it in 2024 in response to student pressure.
The university now has 33 departments in total, of which 14 fall under the arts and humanities, social sciences, and business studies faculties. As for the ministry’s recent directive, the university administration is expected to begin discussions after the vacation ends on April 13.
Former Vice Chancellor of Jashore University of Science and Technology, Professor Dr. Anwar Hossain, believes science and technology universities should prioritize STEM subjects more seriously. “The whole point of setting up these universities was to improve technical education,” he said. “They should be focused on science, technology, and engineering. Otherwise, there’s really no difference between them and general universities. That doesn’t mean non-STEM subjects should be banned altogether or all such departments should be shut down. But there should be a limit. At most, 15 to 20 percent of students can study these subjects. If a third or nearly half of the students in a science and technology university are enrolled in non-STEM programs, that’s not ideal.”
Although the education ministry has already issued a directive, most universities have not taken any real steps except for Noakhali Science and Technology University. Vice Chancellors from different universities say it is going to be tough to shut down these departments because they are already up and running. Plus, such decisions could spark backlash from both teachers and students in the affected departments.
Professor Md Shajedul Karim, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, explained, “In our university, students in science, tech, and engineering programs also take courses from the humanities, social sciences, and business faculties. So we need qualified faculty in those fields. That’s why we’ve set up departments in social sciences and business education. These subjects are directly linked to the curricula of our STEM programs. That’s why we don’t see the ministry’s letter as either positive or negative. And since our academic structure requires these departments, there isn’t really anything for us to change.”
A Vice Chancellor from another science and technology university, who asked not to be named, said, “If we follow the ministry’s instructions, more than a thousand students and over a hundred faculty members in the affected departments might be outraged. That could create instability on campus. We’re considering limiting the number of seats in these departments. We’re also thinking about merging some departments with others.”
Although the University Grants Commission (UGC) is responsible for overseeing all public universities, UGC member Professor Dr. Tanzimuddin Khan said the ministry has yet to consult them on this issue.
Meanwhile, multiple attempts to reach the Education Ministry’s Senior Secretary, Siddique Zobair, were unsuccessful.