The education system in Bangladesh, particularly its tertiary sector, is grappling with severe quality issues. This failure is reflected, among other factors, in global university rankings such as the QS and Times Higher Education (THE), which consistently place Bangladeshi institutions at the lower rungs. While some universities have made modest progress in moving up, the reality remains that their starting position is so low that even incremental advancements appear more significant than they truly are, especially in a country that gained independence more than half a century ago. This indeed reflects the lack of attention to this sector, creating a fundamental and debilitating gap in educational best practices.

Read more

University students deserve a better learning experience

Numerous factors—such as inadequate funding, outdated curricula, a weak research culture, limited industry-university collaboration, a shortage of quality faculty, and above all, deficiencies in governance and accountability—contribute to the struggles of the higher education sector in Bangladesh. While a full analysis of these challenges is beyond this presentation, one critical issue deserves attention: faculty recruitment. Effective recruitment ensures a diverse and skilled faculty that fosters innovative thinking and enhances education quality. Faculty shapes curriculum development, mentors students, and drives research initiatives, all of which directly impact a university's growth and reputation. The ability to attract and retain qualified, motivated, world-class faculty is thus a key determinant of educational quality. Unfortunately, Bangladesh continues to lag in addressing this challenge effectively.

Compounding this problem is the persistent brain drain, which both stems from and worsens the weak educational ecosystem. While students from emerging economies commonly pursue higher education in developed nations, many return to help their home country's development. This has not been the case for Bangladesh, where a significant proportion of highly educated individuals choose to remain abroad rather than support the country's struggling academic institutions. Meanwhile, efforts to attract distinguished scholars—whether from the Bangladeshi diaspora or international academia—have largely failed.

Several factors contribute to this failure, foremost among which is the issue of salary and benefits. Even the best universities in Bangladesh offer remuneration packages that are simply not competitive globally. Faculties in developed nations enjoy much higher salaries, greater research funding, broader professional opportunities, and more flexibility, making it unsurprising that few are willing to relocate to Bangladesh. Some argue that, as a lower-middle-income country, Bangladesh cannot afford globally competitive salaries. However, this presents a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma: the country cannot offer better salaries due to economic constraints, yet remains constrained because it fails to invest in developing a productive, robust, and relevant human capital base. East Asian and Southeast Asian countries have been relatively successful in this regard and deserve close study.

Beyond salaries, inadequate support for faculties relocating to Bangladesh is another major issue. In developed countries and many emerging economies, universities offer incentives to attract international academics, such as relocation allowances, housing, health insurance, and logistical support. China's "Thousand Talents Plan," for instance, recruits top-tier international scholars by offering prestigious titles, generous financial incentives, research funding, and additional support for travel and visas in return for advancing their universities.

Another overlooked but crucial element is the failure of universities to create meaningful opportunities for visiting faculty. Globally, many distinguished scholars engage in short-term teaching or research positions in foreign institutions through sabbaticals, fellowships, and other exchange programmes. Bangladesh has yet to take full advantage of such arrangements. Unfortunately, rigid bureaucratic structures, cost and revenue driven thinking, and lack of institutional support mean that such exchanges remain sporadic at best.

Perhaps the most profound obstacle to effective faculty recruitment is the overall academic environment in Bangladesh. Most universities don't operate in a manner that aligns with international best practices. Even those that claim to follow global standards often pursue accreditation and compliance procedures primarily as formalities rather than out of a genuine commitment to excellence. The quality of academic life is significantly hindered by rigid structures, limited academic freedom, and a system in which administrative control reigns supreme over intellectual autonomy.

Bangladeshi universities—both public and private—impose rigid, ceremonial, and bureaucratic requirements on faculties, limiting their academic potential. Administrative duties often take precedence over teaching and research, burdening faculty with excessive clerical work, compliance procedures, and arbitrary regulations that detract from their core responsibilities. This bureaucratic intrusion stifles creativity and innovation, discourages collaboration, and creates a gap between faculty potential and administrative overload. As a result, talented individuals are less likely to be attracted to or remain in the system. Moreover, in many developed countries, faculty members have discretion over how they utilise the summer months: research, publishing, global collaborations, personal enrichment, or simply rest. In Bangladesh, many institutions fail to recognise the importance of such flexibility, instead enforce rigid contracts or service rules that do not align with global academic norms. In fact, many universities operate on a year-round academic calendar, preventing any extended breaks. This not only discourages prospective faculty members from joining Bangladeshi institutions but also stifles research output and academic innovation.

Other challenges facing public and private universities in Bangladesh stem from different but equally detrimental sources. Public universities are heavily influenced by politics, often prioritising partisan interests over academic distinction. Many faculty appointments are dictated by political considerations rather than merit, leading to a serious decline in educational standards. And continuing political incursions into academia to promote particular ideologies while suppressing others have shredded all vestiges of academic freedom. Instead of serving as arenas for domination, academic institutions must practise freedom, empowering individuals to transform their world rather than passively accepting it.

At the same time, private universities, which should ideally offer a more dynamic alternative, often operate as commercial enterprises rather than genuine centres of learning. Their primary goal is profit maximisation, often at the expense of academic quality, whereas international best practices dictate that private universities be not-for-profit. This does not mean they avoid generating a surplus; rather, any surplus is reinvested to sustain, grow, or enhance education, rather than benefiting shareholders or investors. Due to their current revenue focus, university faculties in Bangladesh are overburdened with teaching loads and administrative duties, leaving little room for meaningful research or professional development.

This dire situation demands urgent reform. Perhaps a soul-searching "national dialogue" is needed to reconsider a critical question: what is a university—or what should it be—and how can Bangladesh's aspirations for a brighter future be shaped by reconceptualising higher education. In this context, the country must recognise that without a major overhaul of its faculty recruitment strategy, as part of broader systemic reform, its universities will continue to lag significantly behind global counterparts.

Read more

Stop scapegoating the curriculum

The challenges facing the education sector, especially university education, are part of a larger systemic problem, making broader structural changes essential. To attract and retain high-quality faculty, particularly distinguished international scholars from the Bangladeshi diaspora, universities must offer better research funding, provide appealing relocation benefits, and actively engage visiting scholars. More importantly, academic culture must transform. Bureaucratic interference and ceremonial fanfare should be sharply reduced, granting faculty members the autonomy to be result-oriented by pursuing research and teaching aligned with international best practices. Ultimately, the future of higher education in Bangladesh depends on its ability to attract and retain talented educators.

Without world-class faculty, no amount of infrastructure development or policy reform will be sufficient to elevate the country's universities to a competitive level. Policymakers, university administrators, and the business community must also collaborate, as outlined in the Triple Helix Model, to cultivate an environment that actively promotes and rewards academic excellence.

As part of systemic reform and transformation, Bangladesh has an opportunity now to set the foundation for long-term academic success and global recognition by nurturing world-class faculty members in its universities. Only then can the country hope to build a tertiary education system that effectively serves its people and contributes meaningfully to national development, paving the way for a world class future.

Dr Mohammad Omar Farooq is professor and head of the Department of Economics at the United International University (UIU).

Dr Syed Saad Andaleeb is distinguished professor emeritus at the Pennsylvania State University in the US, and former vice-chancellor of BRAC University.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.