“Yes
It Can”
I enjoy the articles in SWM and especially
enjoyed the article “Yes It Can” by Saqi Rahman. I
think what she wrote was very true and I hope to read
more articles of the kind in the future.
A Reader
On
“North-North-West University”
I almost died laughing after reading
Shawkat Hussain's desire to create a North-North-West
University. It should be a crime to be so funny that
you can kill someone a few thousand miles away. Seriously,
could you please ask him if he needs a Vice-Chancellor
or a Dean. I'd be most interested.
Esam
Kansas, USA
I would like to thank Mr. Shawkat
Hussain for his satirical article on private universities
in Dhaka. His article very successfully summarises
a phenomenon that we often jeer at while we walk down
the old Satmasjid Road. However, there is much more
to it than simply street fronted signboards and compass
driven names. There are young minds and students who
really try to get an education there. So it is time
that the UGC does something to bring everything in
order.
I believe the UGC is severely under staffed. Other
than hiding behind its high sounding name, it doesn't
really have much say in the real academic matters
of the universities it has allowed to grow in the
first place. The UGC badly needs an academic regulatory
body that can evaluate the standard of academic performance
of these different universities. It needs to monitor
the infra-structural strength as well as academic
expertise of the teaching staff. It can at least develop
a system of ranking so that the so-called good universities
can be differentiated from the bad ones. The UGC also
needs to evaluate the standard of education offered
at the public universities as well, because, in certain
areas there may be a need for an upgrading or revision
of curriculum. The UGC must appoint consultants if
needed and go about monitoring the strength of the
academic programmes offered at different universities.
I am afraid I don't know exactly which area the UGC
really handles but we do need a government regulatory
body that would ensure that quality of education is
being offered at the various institutions in the country.
So, like Mr. Shawkat Hussain, I would like to request
the new Chairman to really focus on this area so that
we don't end up with an ill educated generation.
Mujtaba
Ahsan
Hawaii
