Dreaming of a world class university

Philip Rinelader commenting on Emerson's essay "The American Scholar" remarked that "our colleges and universities have been content to develop mere thinkers; what has been lost is the "Ideal Man Thinking", i.e., the conception of the scholar as first of all a concrete individual engaged in the art of living who is specially qualified by his education to bring to bear the resources of rational thinking upon the solution of the major and pressing problem of human existence and of social justice."

In this essay we limit our definition to the role of a university in creating and disseminating knowledge. Within the context of a university all activities in which the faculty and students engage themselves are expected to create and disseminate knowledge. The university bears the responsibility of moving the society forward by addressing the pressing problems for the society and producing the positive thinkers, business and political leaders and intelligent workers.

Very few nations of the world are blessed as Bangladesh is with enormous human resource which can give the nation the innovators, entrepreneurs, and political and business leaders -- in Emerson's term "the Ideal Man Thinking". The potential for development in Bangladesh lies in its population not as the exportable cheap labour but as a creative and innovative force to participate in the new global economy. Our failure to develop these million minds as "Man Thinking" is a terrible loss to the humanity.

Advanced countries made progress not because they have huge natural resources but because they were able to generate and use new knowledge through invention, innovation, and technology adoption. At the root of all of these are the top rated educational and research institutions these countries support and nurture diligently. For example, many countries in Africa and the Middle East are resource-rich but knowledge-poor and thus remain less developed. The less developed countries like Bangladesh should come out of subsistence (basic) education mentality (developed out of years' occupation and foreign vested interests) to the aspiration of advanced education. As long as the seats of advanced higher education are not developed and nurtured within these countries their hopes for economic emancipation will remain unfulfilled. It is heartening to note that India, Singapore, and Malaysia have made noticeable progress in this direction.

The internet revolution as the most significant thing that has happened over the last 10 years has changed the world order in an inconceivable way. For example in 1977 Ken Wilson the founder of Digital Equipment said, "there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Now, in US more than 60 per cent of households has a computer. The new economic order in fact is the new global internet connectivity order. It has created a new set of pressing needs for 'human existence and social justice'.

The internet explosion redistributed the controlling power and leadership roles to a new generation of institutions and societies. They may potentially emerge from anywhere to anywhere. Bangladesh could be a global power in this sense only if it can give world class education to its talented young people. Talented people are not a scarce commodity in Bangladesh. Why do you think Bangladeshi scholars made significant marks around the world, or Bangladesh army has earned high reputation in UN peace keeping missions, or RAB within the country is so welcome? It is all talents of Bangladeshi people.

If serious attempts are made Bangladesh can compete in this global economic order intellectually and reduce the burden of cheap human labour, inefficient and non-value added export and import of marginally relevant technical skills. I start with a list of things needed to be considered to move forward in creating a world class university.

1. Need to provide world class education: World class education will allow educated men and women compete for any jobs worldwide and also move the nation forward. We can do it. For example, MBA and BBA from Dhaka IBA have already made their marks in the banking sector in the Middle East.

2. Smooth and unhindered access to technology: Technology is the backbone of the new economy and world class education. Bangladesh is very weak in this area. It needs to be fixed quickly and access to internet must be made available to most institutions and masses all over the country

3. Global orientation: The university should educate men and women to compete globally and not limit the focus on the needs of Bangladesh alone.

4. Encouraging and rewarding innovation and entrepreneurship: The university should be the breeding ground for innovators and entrepreneurs and encourage researchers and faculty members by rewarding good work. MIT acts as the incubator for world class invention and innovation.

5. No political intervention: Educational institutions run for political gains loose academically and can never reach world class status. Then it becomes difficult to recruit the best faculty or most deserving students.

6. Responsible leadership: Accountability is at the core of individual and organisational success. The leaders at the institutional and the national levels must take the responsibility for the failure as much as the credits for the success of the university.

7. Political stability: Time is running out on us. Hunger for political power must lead to the desire for a stable government and not to the path for self destruction.

8. No campus politics and outside interference: Campus politics is a luxury for a poor country like Bangladesh. If students cannot come to class for any length of time, then it results in a staggering economic loss. Teachers are paid their salaries, physical facilities are not used, administrative costs are incurred, and students loose productive time by graduating late. This must not happen in a world class university. (The university where I am a visiting professor now, dismisses any student with 10% or more absence from the class). This is not an exhaustive list of things we need to be aware of but are some examples.

The mission of a university should be to provide quality education for the future leaders. By quality I mean world class quality, of course. Talents fortunately are normally distributed among all populations in the world.

In terms of intellectual capacity there are the best, the moderate, and the worst. Education should be for all but at the same time the talented students should be adequately served. It is a shame that so many talents are wasted in our country for the lack of opportunities. It is a shame that there are many young people who can pass the litmus tests of global standards and achieve a high level excellence to compete and challenge anyone from anywhere has nowhere to go. It is true that Bangladeshi young people are successfully competing in rigorous programmes around the world. They are only a fortunate few. Opportunities are needed for those left behind.

There are 58 private universities in the country, some with little or no academic standards. Many of which reportedly operate with outdated contents (knowledge); use old text books having little or no relevance to the needs of the society, employ poorly qualified and over worked faculty members at nominal compensation, have inadequate or nominal physical facilities, and copy curricula, programmes and courses from foreign universities. It is an alarming situation for the future of higher education in Bangladesh. In the name of privatisation part of higher education has been hijacked in Bangladesh. There are, of course, some really good ones who are trying honestly to achieve a level of excellence. But must I say that though their efforts are noteworthy but they may not be providing world class education.

I believe that it is possible to establish a dream university with the world class standards. For a world class university three things are needed -- talented students, excellent faculty members, and appropriate facilities. All of these elements can be assembled if there is financial support. What is needed is the backing of philanthropists who understand the need of quality education and the costs associated with it.

An institution cannot attract top scholars with poor salary. Modern and innovative curriculum cannot be delivered without adequate physical facilities, library, and technology. To establish such a world class university substantial endowment fund is necessary. But such a dream university will make the difference in years to come. Private entrepreneurs and government should accept this challenge if they really want to make the difference and join together in such a venture in right earnest.

Mawdudur Rahman, PhD, Professor, School of Management Suffolk University, Boston, USA is Visiting Professor, College of Business, Zayed University, Dubai, UAE.