UGC warns against admission to 14 private universities
STAFF REPORTER
The University Grants Commission (UGC) yesterday alerted students about taking admission to 14 private universities, as these educational institutions have various problems including unapproved campuses and conflict in the Board of Trustees (BOT). The commission absolved itself of any responsibility if any student, despite the warning, takes admission to any unapproved private university or any programmes or courses. It said students should collect proper information about a university from the UGC website. It also said that students must be aware that the education ministry and the UGC have not given any foreign university the permission to set up any branch/campus/study centre in the country and run their activities.
Regarding the current situation of the 14 universities, the UGC said the BOT of IBAIS University is divided into two groups and several cases are pending in the courts against each group.
About America Bangladesh University, the UGC said the commission has carried out a field visit on its campus at
Progoti Swarani in the capital and found that the varsity does not have any facilities to run academic activities. It also does not have its teachers, employers and employees. Even its the floor space is not in keeping with the law.
The University of Comilla was closed by the government on October 22, 2016, but the varsity authorities got a courts verdict in its favour on December 15, 2016. Later, on February 7, 2018, the education ministry allowed it to carry on its activities and formed a committee to visit the university to know its facilities necessary for running academic activities.
When the UGC sent a letter to the university for the visit, the university authorities filed a writ petition to the court, challenging the effectiveness of the letter and the court issued a stay order. The UGC, then, filed an appeal challenging the order.
The approved campuses of Southern University Bangladesh is at Mehedibagh Chittagong and Shaheed Mirza Lane Chittagong. As per the courts verdict, all other campuses of the university, except the two, are illegal. The education ministry directed the university to stop admission on November 30, 2017, but the varsity authorities went to tge court and obtained a stay order for six months on January 9, 2018. Besides, two cases related to its BOT are pending in the court.
Three universitiesthe University of Science and Technology Chittagong, the Peoples University of Bangladesh and the University of South Asiaare running unapproved campuses.
Five universities have conflicts in their BOT and cases pending in the courts. These are: IBAIS University, Sylhet International University, Britannia University, Premier University and Southern University Bangladesh.
Even after closing the Queens University, the education ministry, on September 6, 2015, gave permission to the university to run its academic activities for one year on a temporary basis. But the university could not start it within the time.
The UGC issued an advertisement in national dailies on April 26, 2017, requesting students not to take admission to certain unapproved programmes of Gono Bishwabidyalay. The university authorities challenged the advertisement in the court and obtained a stay order.
The newly approved 10 universities have not got any permission yet for running their academic activities, but the matter is under process.
On the other hand, Darul Ihsan University has been closed by a court order.
The UGC also said that the vice-chancellor (VC) of a private university would be the main person to sign the certificates of its students. The President, who is the chancellor of all universities, only appoints the vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellor and treasurer. Currently, 91 private universities, out of 103, are running their academic activities across the country. Among them, 66 universities have VCs, 20 have pro-VC and 41 have treasurers appointed by the President.
IK
