Academics reject UGC plan, terming it 'anti-poor'

Terming the UGC plan 'anti-poor and anti-people', they called for preparing a counter strategic plan on the same issue and said the UGC plan, backed by BNP-Jamaat-led coalition government, would encourage commercialisation of higher education.

The academicians expressed their grave concern saying that if the UGC plan is introduced, poor and middle-class students would not get access to higher education deepening the crisis in country's higher education system.

The roundtable on 'Strategic Plan of UGC: Review and what to be done' was organised by Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (SCF), a left-leaning student body, at the National Press Club in the city.

Recently the UGC, country's lone university watchdog, submitted the strategic plan to the President and the Prime Minster who directed the authorities concerned on April 10 to implement the plan without placing it at parliament for general discussion.

Taking part in the roundtable, Shikkha Andolon Mancho President Prof Ajoy Roy said it is an unrealistic idea that the government can reduce its expenditure on public universities from 90 percent to 70 percent if the public universities raise their internal funds.

He said the government's bid to raise internal funds of public universities by increasing tuition fees, renting out their establishments, providing consultancy services and introducing evening courses for different professional degrees would only hamper education and research.

About the UGC plan's recommendation on the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs), he said it would increase politicisation of VC's appointment and subsequently all other appointments intensifying the prevailing undemocratic situation at public universities.

Economist Prof Anu Mohammad said some unscrupulous consultants of public universities, who are often seen at different ministries, persuade the government to introduce different anti-people schemes taking money from World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

He said the WB, which provided technical and financial cooperation to the UGC and the government for the plan, wants commercialisation of higher education.

"We should come up with our own plan to develop our education and research," he added.

Former Rajshahi University VC Prof Khan Sarwar Morshed, former Jahangirnagar University VC Prof Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, Dhaka University Teachers' Association General Secretary Prof Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman, RU teacher Prof Shahidul Islam, Dhaka University teachers Prof Akmal Hossain and Prof HK Arefin, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology teacher Prof Shamsul Wares, Economist Prof Amir Hossain and Journalist Shahin Reza Noor also spoke on the occasion.

SCF DU unit President Janardan Datta Nantu read out a keynote paper at the roundtable moderated by its central committee President Kalequzzaman Lipon.