UGC to be replaced by higher education commission: university rankings to be introduced

The University Grants Commission (UGC), the country’s current regulatory authority for higher education, is set to be replaced by the Bangladesh Higher Education Commission. Compared with the existing UGC, the new commission will enjoy far greater authority, status and scope.

The interim government has already prepared a draft of the higher education commission ordinance. Under the draft, the chair of the commission will hold a status equivalent to that of a full cabinet minister, while the commissioners will enjoy a rank equivalent to judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

There is also a proposal to increase the number of members so that experts from various fields of higher education can be included.

Once constituted, the commission will not have to rely on the Ministry of Education, as the UGC currently does, to make decisions. Rather, it will be able to take necessary measures independently.

The Ministry of Education has prepared the draft of the higher education commission ordinance 2025 and circulated it among various stakeholders for feedback. At the same time, the draft has been published on the ministry’s website.

An official of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the ministry told Prothom Alo that the draft was initially prepared by the UGC itself. Opinions can be submitted within 30 working days from 10 December. The next steps will be taken after reviewing the feedback received.

At present, Bangladesh has 172 approved universities, both public and private. Of these, 56 are public universities, of which 51 are currently operational. There are also 116 approved private universities, a few of which have ceased operations. Including affiliated colleges and madrasahs, the total number of students in the higher education sector now exceeds 4.8 million.

The UGC was established in 1972 with the aim of modernising and overseeing higher education in the country. At that time just six public universities were in operation. It became a statutory body in February the following year. For more than five decades, the commission has mainly allocated funds to universities and made recommendations to the Ministry of Education on various matters.

Although higher education has expanded rapidly, the UGC’s effective authority has remained limited. As it largely lacks the power to take concrete action beyond making recommendations, many educationists have described the UGC as a “toothless tiger”.

Despite long-standing discussions about strengthening the UGC through legislation, these have not been implemented. Several initiatives to establish a higher education commission were taken in the past, but none materialised.

The initiative has now been revived. However, doubts remain as to whether the commission will actually be established before the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election. UGC officials, nevertheless, remain hopeful that the higher education commission will be formed.

According to the draft ordinance, the headquarters of the higher education commission will be located in Dhaka. There will also be scope to establish divisional or regional offices if required. No such option exists under the current UGC framework.

The commission will consist of a chair, eight commissioners and 10 part-time members. At present, the UGC has a chair and five full-time members.

The chair and commissioners will be appointed on the recommendation of a search committee. Their tenure will be four years, with the possibility of reappointment for a second term.

To be appointed as a chair, a candidate must be a PhD-holding academic from a nationally and internationally reputed institution, with at least 25 years’ teaching experience at university level, including at least 15 years as a professor.

The candidate must also have significant research publications and administrative experience in university management.

The draft also states that the chair will enjoy the status of a cabinet minister, though not hold the office of a cabinet minister, and will receive corresponding salary, allowances and other benefits. Commissioners will enjoy a status equivalent to that of judges of the Appellate Division. Under the current Warrant of Precedence, the UGC chair ranks 16th.

Under the draft ordinance, the commission will be responsible for assessing education and research needs, formulating plans to improve the quality of higher education, drafting policies and guidelines, preparing and overseeing the implementation of budgets for public universities, and monitoring domestic and international research projects.

The commission will also determine necessity and priority when establishing new universities. In addition, it will set criteria and publish university rankings every three years. Universities that perform poorly in the rankings will be brought under special supervision, according to the draft.

The commission will further assist with curriculum development in line with internationally ranked universities, inter-university credit transfer, and student, teacher and researcher exchange programmes.

The draft provides that the higher education commission will exercise any powers and perform any duties relating to higher education and research conferred by law or assigned by the government.

The commission will be empowered to inspect universities, demand and assess accounts, and take action accordingly. It will also have the authority to initiate investigations, either suo motu or based on complaints, into allegations of irregularities or corruption and take appropriate measures.

If a university fails to comply with the commission’s directives, the commission may suspend allocations (in the case of public universities), withdraw or suspend approval of courses or programmes, and even order the suspension of admissions.

However, an aggrieved university will be able to apply for a review to the commission within 30 days. If still dissatisfied, it may appeal to the chancellor.

The commission will submit an annual report on its overall activities for the previous financial year to the president by 30 September each year, which will then be placed before the national parliament.

A large section of academics considers the initiative to establish the proposed Bangladesh Higher Education Commission to be timely.

They argue that while the country’s higher education system has expanded manifold over the past five decades, the supervisory framework has not been strengthened proportionately. As a result, the need for a commission with greater authority and responsibility than the UGC has long been felt.

Experts say that a new commission could improve coordination in quality assurance, research oversight and budget management. In particular, the introduction of university rankings, evaluation of research projects and special supervision of weaker universities could create opportunities for qualitative improvement.

Professor SM Hafizur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University told Prothom Alo that the UGC currently has limited human resources and little operational independence.

“If a higher education commission is formed with adequate qualified human resources and real autonomy, it would be a positive development for higher education,” he said.

“However, accountability and transparency are crucial for any institution. In this case, too, the proposed higher education commission must ensure transparency and accountability,” he added.