Enhancement of Quality Education: Identification of

Problems and Prospects from IIUC Perspective and Beyond

The quality of the private universities in Bangladesh has been a matter of

discussion and debate since the beginning of the journey of private
universities in Bangladesh. In recent times, the issue came more
prominently to the front-table discussion. It is because the private
universities have become the desire and/or destiny of most of the
graduation-seeking students as these are less time-consuming, non-
political and well-equipped with state-of-the-art of teaching and
technological aids etc. According to a statistics, out of the 3,19,472
students (other than those in the National University and Bangladesh
Open University) that are enrolled in the various universities of
Bangladesh, 57% (1,82,641) are enrolled in the private universities while
only 43% (1,36,831) are in the public universities.

IIUC is a well-known name in the private sector universities in

Bangladesh having been ensuring a sustainable standard of education
since inception. It has a great potentiality to become the pioneer in
imparting higher quality education. Notwithstanding the fact, IIUC is
facing some troubles which need to be addressed immediately for the
sake of ensuring quality higher education:

1) Each and every department should be equipped with more senior,

experienced and expert academicians who are regarded worldwide
as the authorities on their respective fields so that a research
environment is created inside the respective departments and the
junior faculties are trained up for research.
2) Only those who are academically sound should be appointed (part-
time and/or full-time basis) as faculty members. And all newly
hired faculties should be given training by the expert academicians
for three months after their appointment or as a pre-condition for
their joining as IIUC faculty so that they may impart quality
education from the very beginning of their academic life. The same
sort of training may be organized for the existing faculties for
enhancing their teaching standard. All these training sessions are to
be organized in line with the vision and mission of IIUC.
3) A solid research environment is to be created ensuring an enriched
library where all relevant books, e-books and e-journals are to be
made available. Every department should be allowed to have its
own research journal the quality of which is to be ensured through
a peer review/expert review process. In order to ensure a research
environment, many other programs may be undertaken.
4) The university should send prospective and committed faculties to
the overseas world-class universities with/without its funding with
an assurance on their parts to join IIUC on their return. But the
university should enhance their remuneration package after their
return as they have added some values to their qualities. The
university should not have the reservation to this while thinking
that those faculty members have been provided by IIUC, otherwise
those faculties will always seek chance for switching over to any
better place.
5) The syllabus of the academic courses should be developed by the
expert academicians and cross-checked by the nationally and
internationally acclaimed academicians.
6) The university should provide research grants, subsidies,
scholarships, fellowships or other incentives to the students and
researchers from the university. This will encourage them to
concentrate on research-based studies in Science, Arts, Business,
and Religious areas for an effective contribution.
7) IIUC should shift its policy from rented accommodation to
university-owned accommodation which will help it reduce costs
on rentals, charge the students less on tuition fees (though the
tuition fee is still less), and concentrate more funds for the
enhancement of quality education. Besides, a congenial and
hygiene environment for holding classes and exams are to be
ensured so that the students and teachers feel comfortable. Some
big exam halls are to be ensured for holding the exams for
checking the chance of any unfair-means. Sometimes, it is seen
that the students come to the university only for three days a week
for their classes (as the routine is designed in this fashion) which is
very dangerous for developing a habit of study in them.
8) The teaching load of the faculty members should be reduced so that
they may concentrate on research. Besides, every faculty member
may be brought under the condition that everyone should have at
least two publications each year failing which will compromise
their promotion.
9) The remuneration package of the faculty members should be
enhanced so that expert faculty members may be retained and
attracted.
10) All modern teaching aids in their sufficient numbers/quantities are
to be ensured in the class rooms.
11) Since there is a serious lack of extracurricular activities at IIUC,
the students are lagging behind in achieving quality education.
12) The communication between the students and their advisors is to
be enhanced. Besides, the students-faculty members meeting and
 the tripartite view-exchange between the students, teachers, and
top administration are seriously needed for knowing the obstacles
behind the quality education.

These, among others, are some of the issues which need immediate
attention and address for the top management of the university and we
feel that quality education in IIUC will be ensured when these conditions
are prudently fulfilled.

Thanking you,

On behalf of all faculty members

Md. Mokhter Ahmad

Associate Professor and Coordinator
CENURC
IIUC-Dhaka Campus