President Abdul Hamid yesterday urged the private universities to form monitoring committees at their institutions to keep eyes on their teachers and students so that no one could get involved in militancy and terrorism.

The country's image gets tarnished when teachers and students are involved in religious fanaticism, said Joynal Abedin, president's press secretary, quoting Hamid as saying.

The president, who is also the chancellor of the universities, gave the directive while holding a views-exchange meeting with vice-chancellors of private universities at the Bangabhaban in the evening.

Hamid also directed the private universities to shun their commercial attitude over education, provide international standard education and prepare curricula accordingly so that students could prepare themselves for global competitions.

Expressing grave concern over the vacant posts of VCs and treasurers at 23 universities, he asked the authorities concerned, especially the education ministry and the University Grants Commission, to monitor the overall academic environment of those universities.

Fifty-eight VCs, out of 95 private universities, and secretaries concerned to the president were present at the meeting.