The Essential Role of Accreditation in Bangladesh's Higher Education: Making BAC Accreditation Mandatory at The Tertiary Level (Concluding Part)

 

The review team uses detailed scoring rubrics that define different levels of compliance. These range from 0% (no implementation) to 100% (fully established practices with strong evidence). This nuanced scoring allows for meaningful differentiation between institutions that are just beginning to implement quality systems and those with mature, well-established practices.

Building Expertise: The Auditor Training Program
A key strength of BAC's approach is its investment in building assessment expertise. The training program for academic auditors, like the one held in December 2025(28 and 29), ensures that evaluators understand the standards consistently and apply them fairly. Day 1 – Foundational Mastery:Pof.S.M.Kabir discussed on Ability to maintain the standard process tocary out the EQA.  The session on the BNQF (led by Prof. Sanjoy Kumar Adhikary) provided auditors with the critical lens to assess how programs align with national qualification levels, a positive step toward systemic coherence. Prof. Farheen Hasan’s session on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) crucially shifted the focus from institutional inputs to demonstrable student learning outcomes, promoting an educational philosophy centered on competency and relevance.

Day 2 – Applied Competence: The hands-on EQA Report Preparation workshop (led by Prof. S M Kabir) transformed principles into practice. This empowered auditors to produce precise, evidence-based reports that are invaluable for providing HEIs with actionable feedback for improvement. The session on BAC Accreditation Rules, 2022 (by Prof. Mesbahuddin Ahmed) grounded the entire process in legal and procedural clarity, ensuring audits are both rigorous and equitable. Prof. Dr. Khawza Ifthekar Uddin Ahmed, Pro-VC of Green University also took a session in the program. Prof. Nasir Uddin Ahmmed, BAC is an amicable person.

The two-day training covered both conceptual understanding and practical skills. On the first day, participants learned about the accreditation framework and the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF). The BNQF is particularly important as it establishes clear expectations about what students should know and be able to do at each educational level.

The second day focused on practical skills like report writing and applying accreditation rules. This combination of theory and practice ensures that auditors can conduct evaluations that are both rigorous and constructive. Their reports don't just score institutions but provide specific feedback for improvement.

Professor Mesbahuddin Ahmed's involvement in this training as a session leader is noteworthy. His journey from physics professor to accreditation expert demonstrates the depth of understanding needed for this work. Quality assurance in education requires both academic credibility and practical administrative experience – exactly the combination he represents.

Despite its clear value, the accreditation system faces several challenges in implementation: Resource limitations affect some institutions, particularly newer or smaller ones that may struggle to meet facility or faculty requirements. BAC must balance maintaining standards with recognizing different institutional contexts and capacities. Resistance to change presents another challenge. Some faculty members are comfortable with traditional teaching methods and may view new approaches like Outcome-Based Education as unnecessary complications. Changing these attitudes requires patient communication about the benefits for students.

There's also a risk of the process becoming overly bureaucratic. If institutions see accreditation as just paperwork rather than meaningful improvement, they may comply minimally without embracing the spirit of quality enhancement. BAC addresses this by emphasizing that documentation should reflect actual practices.

The proposed establishment of a Higher Education Commission (HEC) presents both opportunities and considerations for BAC's work. A more comprehensive regulatory body could potentially streamline governance of higher education in Bangladesh. However, it's crucial that quality assurance maintains its specialized focus within any new structure. BAC's strength lies in its technical expertise and peer-review approach. These features should be preserved and strengthened regardless of organizational changes. The ideal relationship would see the HEC handling broad policy and coordination while BAC continues its specialized work of quality assessment, with clear independence in its evaluation decisions.

Looking forward, several practical steps could enhance BAC's effectiveness:

· Enhanced guidance for institutions: Rather than just evaluating, BAC could provide more resources to help institutions understand and implement quality standards. This "supportive" approach might include sharing examples of best practices, offering consultation services, or creating clearer implementation guidelines.

· Technology integration: Developing online platforms for document submission, reporting, and communication could make the process more efficient for both institutions and evaluators. Digital tools might also help with data analysis across institutions, identifying sector-wide trends and needs.

· Greater stakeholder involvement: While peer review is essential, input from employers, graduates, and community representatives could enrich the evaluation process. Their perspectives on how well education prepares students for real-world challenges would provide valuable insights.

· International benchmarking: Continuing to align with international quality assurance practices while maintaining relevance to Bangladesh's context would help ensure global recognition of Bangladeshi degrees while addressing local needs.

· Focus on educational innovation: As teaching methods evolve worldwide, BAC could play a role in encouraging innovation while maintaining quality standards. This might include recognizing alternative teaching approaches or new types of educational programs that meet emerging needs.
The work of the Bangladesh Accreditation Council represents an important investment in the country's future. Quality higher education directly supports national development goals by creating a skilled workforce, advancing knowledge through research, and preparing citizens for leadership roles.

When students receive quality education that meets recognized standards, they become more productive professionals. When employers can trust the qualifications of graduates, the job market functions more efficiently. When Bangladeshi degrees gain international respect, opportunities expand for both individual graduates and the country as a whole.

The connection to international university rankings, mentioned in the query, is worth noting. While rankings have limitations, they do influence perceptions of educational quality globally. Systematic quality assurance through accreditation provides a foundation that can help Bangladeshi universities gain visibility and recognition in these international comparisons.

Professor Ahmed's career transition from scientific researcher to education system builder illustrates an important principle: improving education requires both specialized knowledge and systemic thinking. His physics background provided rigor and precision, while his administrative experience provided understanding of how institutions actually function. This combination is exactly what's needed for effective quality assurance.
The Bangladesh Accreditation Council has established itself as an essential component of the country's higher education system. Through its standards, evaluation processes, and capacity-building efforts, BAC creates a framework for quality that benefits students, institutions, employers, and society.

The council's work addresses fundamental questions about educational value: How do we know if education is effective? How can we ensure consistency across institutions? How can we encourage continuous improvement? By providing systematic answers to these questions, BAC helps build confidence in Bangladeshi higher education.

As the system evolves with potential new structures like the Higher Education Commission, the core principles of independent quality assessment should remain central. The expertise developed through BAC's work, the standards established through careful consultation, and the evaluation processes refined through experience all represent valuable assets for the nation's educational development.

The journey from establishing basic standards to fostering a genuine culture of quality is ongoing. With continued commitment from institutions, support from government, and leadership from experienced professionals like Professor Mesbahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh's accreditation system can continue developing in ways that serve students and society effectively.

Ultimately, quality assurance in education isn't about compliance for its own sake. It's about ensuring that every student's educational investment yields meaningful returns in knowledge, skills, and opportunities. It's about building trust in qualifications so that employers can find talent efficiently. It's about creating a system where institutions learn from each other and continuously improve. Through its multifaceted work, the Bangladesh Accreditation Council contributes significantly to all these important goals, helping shape an education system that can meet both current needs and future challenges. To strengthen the Bangladesh Accreditation Council, three key policy actions should be initiated:

Make BAC accreditation mandatory for all tertiary education programs in Bangladesh. Parallel alignment with global benchmarks such as QS and Times Higher Education rankings should be pursued to enhance international recognition. Establish a requirement that all faculty members must hold a PhD at the University level to become faculty. Additionally, higher secondary examination results should not be considered a valid qualification for teaching appointments at the University level rather Honour and Master level education is mandatory above 3.75 out of 4 scale.

Develop a formal journal ranking system for research assessment, managed either by the UGC or a dedicated wing within the BAC, requiring DOI registration for publications with proper evaluation of the journals. Regarding program structure: for a 130-credit program, 25% should be allocated to General Education (GED) courses. A Project/Internship should carry 3 credits, but the defense should be ungraded (pass/fail). If a 4-credit Viva Voce is included, the total would become 134 credits. In an OBE system, the moderation board must include an external examiner at the professor level as pointed out by Prof. Farheen Hassan, Director, IQAC, AIUB at BAC. While BAC’s framework is robust, its effective implementation requires decisive governmental support to ensure compliance and overcome institutional resistance.


Professor Dr. Muhammad
Mahboob Ali teaches Economics
at Bangladesh University of Business
and Technology (BUBT), Dhaka.