keynote speaker: prof. m. anwar hossain, ph.d (cornell, usa) first vice-chancellor islamic...
TRANSCRIPT
WELCOME TO
WIEF ROUNDTABLE JOINTLY ORGANIZED BY WIEF FOUNDATION AND
SEACO FOUNDATION
19-20 MARCH 2012, DHAKA, BANGLADESH
PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION: CREATING
WORLD CLASS INSTITUTIONS THROUGH REGIONAL COOPERATION
Keynote Speaker: Prof. M. Anwar Hossain, Ph.D (Cornell, USA) First Vice-Chancellor Islamic University of Technology (IUT) of OIC Dhaka, [email protected]
ISSUES AT HAND
Higher education - Present Context - Task World-class Institutions Private/Public Sector Regional Cooperation
Higher Education
- Education and training imparted to students generally
having 12 years of schooling with a view to Contribute to their personal, social and professional lives
Produce knowledgeable, creative and skilled performers and leaders to lead in their own areas of activities and hence
Enrich the intellectual, economic and cultural fabric of their communities, states, nations and beyond.
Present Context• Increasing population -- increasing number of students
• Information explosion -- needs critical thinking for screening
• Increasingly globalized world leading to:• i. knowledge based economy and society • ii. global job market with severe competition for the job seekers• a. outsourced jobs• b. more than 70,000 foreign professionals/technical personnel now in Bangladesh• c. Bangladesh needs to create 1.5 million new jobs (all types) per year for next 20 years (WB)• d. branding of Bangladeshi manpower (World Marketing Summit)
• Need for creativity and emphasis on problem solving skills, team work, flexibility, adaptability and communication skills
• Need of lifelong learning and continuing education due to continuously changing nature and requirements of jobs
• Changing nature of classrooms because of technology and online learning
• Shortage of qualified faculty members having the capacity to lead
• Renewed emphasis on civic responsibility, ethics, values etc.
creating/
generating
accumulating
transmitting/
transferring/
disseminating
knowledge and skills with quality and appropriate inputs like the following to provide an enabling environment for world class education:
Task- To do justice to their students and trainees, the institutions of
higher education are now, therefore, required to function in the above context effectively and efficiently in the process of:
Task Cont…
university leadership
faculty and staff
course curricula
teaching/
learning practices
research activities
physical facilities
university community
diversification
World-class Institutions
• Benchmarking the standards?
• World-class higher education is a necessity for survival
• Accredited programs/ institutions (viz. by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), etc.)
• Position in world ranking
for example
i. University of Hong Kong – 22nd
ii. Mech. Engg./ Nanyang T. University – 33rd
World-class Institutions Cont…- Looking west or east?
i. western pupils at school level lag Asians (Shanghai, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) by one to three years in different areas (Studies by Grattan Institute & OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA))
ii. scientific researchers based in developing countries increased from 30% in 2002 to 38% in 2007 – UNESCO
iii. Asia accounted for 50% GDP global growth in the past 5 years and currently constitutes 28% of the World’s GDP which would be around 50% by 2020
Private/Public SectorInability of public sector universities to meet the increased demand for both quantity and quality, particularly due to
i. decreased funding per student and
ii. government
bureaucracyPrivate universities are coming up strongly to fill in the gap
i. in Bangladesh, more than 50% students in private universities
Guardians now also want quality education for their wards to be competitive in the ever increasing competitive job market
Private/Public Sector Cont…
Steps to be undertaken/ensured by private higher education initiators to have world-class institution are:
i. closing the gap between university academic and administrative culture and sponsoring culture
ii. funds received from the students as well as obtained and generated from other sources be
released to establish the campus of its own with all modern facilities
iii. qualified and forward-looking university leaders and faculty and staff members be recruited from
home and abroad with decent compensation package.
iv. academic programs be regularly audited internally by relevant external academics of international
repute.v. graduate programs be undertaken along with
undergraduate programs to create a vibrant environment for research activities
vi. interaction with industries and communities as well as with reputed organizations/institutions at the national, regional and international level.
vii. programs be accredited by relevant internationally reputed and recognized accrediting bodies over time.
Private/Public Sector Cont…• private sector education be treated like any
other private sector of the economy, for example, industry, with the same concessions, support, benefits, etc. as given to them by the Govt.
• some private universities may be established on PPP model basis
• separate higher education regulatory commission appropriate for private universities be established • independent National Accreditation Board/Council be formed (if not yet done) with reputed and credible persons for accrediting the programs in both private and public sector higher education• a contiguous piece of land of reasonable size be provided on payment basis (if not given as a grant for the private students who were also supposed to be accommodated in the public universities)• provide full scholarships to at least 5 to 10% top students depending on the ranking of the private universities which is, in fact, given to all the students in the public universities in Bangladesh• a limited number of internationally reputed foreign universities be encouraged to have their outer campuses maintaining the same standard and/or joint venture/partnership programs with the local universities.
- Role of National Governments/Ministry of Education/UGCs
Regional Cooperation
World-class higher
education
a huge task involving
huge funds
leadership
expertise
experience, etc.
Regional Cooperation Cont…
Regional support
and cooperati
on be very
useful in some of
the areas
faculty and course curricula
development and
upgrading/updating, through strong faculty
exchange programs sharing the best
teaching-learning
practices and educational resources
facilitation of initiatives for research and development
works through collaborative
research programs and
holding of seminars,
workshops etc.
university community
diversifications
raising funds through the
participation of individuals/organizations in the private sector
Regional Cooperation Cont…May lead to
the establishme
nt of the proposed
private sector SEACO
University in Bangladesh
as discussed in the 2nd
International Conference
on Islam and Higher
Education held on 14-
16 November 2011 in
Malaysia emphasizing
initiative taken by SEACO Foundation Bangladesh
with the cooperation of SEACO Task
Force Malaysia
cooperation of the private
sectors of the five OIC member
countries in the region, viz.
Bangladesh, Brunei
Darussalam, Indonesia,
Maldives and Malaysia
need of world-class
knowledgeable and skilled
manpower at the tertiary level imbued with the
spirit of dedication,
sacrifice and service as
enshrined in the Holy Quran.
Thank You