Private universities will have to show greater capabilities and capacity before they will get approval to offer PhD degrees, says Dr Muhammed Alamgir, a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Approval will not be granted suddenly and the UGC is not yet ‘satisfied’ with the preparations taken by private universities on the matter, he indicated, reports bdnews24.com.
“If private universities submit a full proposal, the UGC will discuss it. Their capacity will be scrutinised.”
Public universities in Bangladesh are able to offer doctoral degrees, but private ones cannot.
The issue came to the fore during a television discussion on Tuesday.
“Universities can offer all types of education and opportunities for research, there are no restrictions on that,” Dr Alamgir had said during the discussion. “But, to offer PhDs, the university must create an environment for research.”
“Overall, the UGC is not confident that private universities can offer proper PhD degrees at this time.”
Alamgir urged private universities to ‘step forward and discuss the matter.
“If the top 10-15 private universities come to us with a complete proposal, we will consider their ability to offer a PhD degree and their ability to research at that level.”
“They have to create a PhD degree ordinance. Then the UGC will consider the matter, and analyse their capacity. If it is deemed acceptable, they will get the chance to offer the degrees.”
The UGC member said that there is a lack of transparency about the income and spending of private universities. According to the law, a part of the annual income of private universities must be spent on research, but it is difficult to determine how much they are spending on research and where, he said.
“They are supposed to submit reports every year, but we see issues there as well. We have sent letters to every private university asking how much they have spent on research.”
However, Dr Alamgir said his comments on the television programme were being ‘misrepresented’ by the media.