Although research is one of the major responsibilities of a university, a concerning trend of ignoring this responsibility persists in some universities across the country.
Some 15 per cent of private universities, including some old ones, did not have allocations of a single penny for research in 2022. A similar situation was found in some newly established public universities.
Conversely, the prominent universities kept comparatively higher allocations for research, and it is reflected in their overall academic performance, according to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) annual report for 2022.
The UGC said there is no alternative to quality publications for improving education and research to the global standard. To address this imperative, the statutory body made 14 recommendations, including special financial incentives for teachers, special awards for young researchers, and a hike in grants for PhD programmes.
Among the public universities, the prominent ones like Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and Bangladesh Agricultural University are in the forefront in terms of research.
Sajjad Hossain, a UGC member, told Prothom Alo that they laid emphasis on collaboration between educational institutions and industries in the latest report.
There are 169 approved universities – 55 public and 114 private – across the country, with a total student enrollment of 47,56,747.
Private varsities lag behind
A total of 100 private universities conducted academic programmes in 2022, and 15 of them did not allocate any funds for research, according to the UGC report.
For instance, Sylhet International University did not make any allocation for research, though it was established long back in 2001.
In this regard, its vice chancellor (VC), Ashraful Alam, cited their poor financial status due to the suspension of student enrollment for two years during the pandemic. However, he vowed to lay emphasis on research as per their capacity.
In a similar case, ASA University, founded in 2006, did not have any allocation for research in 2022. The acting vice chancellor, Iqbal Khan Chowdhury, told Prothom Alo that they were under financial constraints in 2020, 2021, and 2023 due to the pandemic. But, they are gradually giving priority to research.
Some other private universities allocated minimal amounts for research.
However, some prominent private universities, including North South University, BRAC University, Independent University, East West University, United International University, American International University, Daffodil International University, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, and University of Asia Pacific, spent comparatively higher amounts for research. Still, they lag behind the public universities in terms of research work.
Among the public universities, the prominent ones like Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and Bangladesh Agricultural University are in the forefront in terms of research.
Dhaka University allocated Tk 150 million for research, while its publication count was 1,064 in 2022. The Bangladesh Agricultural University allocated Tk 116 million and published 1,275 papers.
M Rizwan Khan, executive director of United International University's Institute for Advanced Research, identified three major factors behind the poor research landscape in universities. Firstly, there is a lack of required mindset. Secondly, many universities do not pay attention to research due to its expensive nature. Thirdly, the teachers, particularly in private universities, remain under a huge load of courses.
He suggested that the authorities should coordinate among all those factors and promote research, as it has no substitute for advancement.