Bangladesh News

Despite being declared illegal by the University Grants Commission (UGC), some branches of foreign and private universities are out to lure HSC passed students into getting enrolled.

They are leafleting different educational institutions and public places and posting advertisements in the media to take advantage of higher pass rate in this year’s HSC exams and limited seats in authorised universities.

False offers of credit transfer after a year’s study, foreign degrees while staying home and honours degrees in fewer years are cleverly presented in ads to attract admission seekers and their guardians, said sources at the UGC.

Some 200 educational institutions including 56 branches of foreign universities, 100 outer campuses of private universities and 40 private medical colleges were adjudged illegal last year by the UGC, the state body regulating the private and public universities.

The charges against them include selling degrees without imparting quality education.

The institutions do not even have own faculty or course curriculum, said an UGC official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Still, the commission could not take action against them due to absence of relevant laws.

All it can do now to safeguard the post-HSC students is raising awareness against phoney institutions, added the official.

The commission will soon publish a list of unauthorised universities and colleges and place advertisements in the national dailies.

UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam said, “We know what’s going on. But we can’t act against the illegal practices as long as there are no specific laws on branches of foreign universities and outer campuses.

“However, things will change with the passing of a new law that is currently in draft form awaiting scrutiny at the law ministry.”

Around 4.6 lakh students passed HSC examinations this year with the pass rate being at 76.19 percent, and of them, 22,045 got GPA-5.

Compared to last year, the percentage of students passing the higher secondary certificate exams is higher by 10 points and the number of GPA-5 getters almost double. But seat capacity of the universities did not increase accordingly.

Acute crisis of seats at the universities has only made it easier for the fake institutions to con the students into getting admission and do them out of huge sums.

According to the Private University Act-1992 and Amendment Act-1998, no private university can be established or run, or no graduation or post-graduation, and diploma or certificate courses can be offered, or no degree, diploma or certificate can be issued under the auspices of any foreign university without specific permission from the government.

Last year, UGC and the education ministry ordered the private universities to close down their outer campuses, approved or unapproved, for selling certificates and providing low quality education.

Of around 100 satellite campuses, 10 under five private universities were operating with government approval in Dhaka and Chittagong. The rest 90 in divisional cities and towns were set up without government approval.

Darul Ihsan has the maximum number of campuses without permission from the government. It has campuses in Rajshahi, Jessore, Khulna, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Rangpur, Bagerhat and Morrelganj, said the UGC sources.

Of 56 branches of foreign universities, 21 are in Dhanmondi area, seven in Banani, five in Uttara and the rest are in Mohammadpur, Gulshan, Motijheel, Kalabagan and Lalmatia in the capital and in Khulna, Chittagong, Sylhet and Rajshahi cities.