Universities Must Build Up Graduates Who Can Innovate, Lead and Solve Complex Predicaments

The deteriorating pedagogical quality of universities in Bangladesh has become an issue that deserves serious national attention. While the country has witnessed a significant expansion of higher education over the past few decades, the corresponding improvement in academic standards, teaching methodologies, research culture, lingual skills among pupils and institutional accountability remains questionable. Universities are expected to produce knowledgeable graduates, critical thinkers, innovative researchers, multilingual speakers and responsible citizens. However, when classrooms become places of routine lectures, examinations turn into exercises in systematic memorizing and academic appointments are influenced by political affiliations or personal connections rather than merit, the fundamental purpose of higher education is jeopardized. This raises an uncomfortable but unavoidable question: Is the University Grants Commission (UGC) merely looking at the deterioration of pedagogical quality, or have the regulatory mechanisms themselves become compromised?

Bangladesh has made considerable progress in expanding access to higher education. Both public and private universities have emerged across the country, creating opportunities for thousands of students who previously had limited access to tertiary education. Yet institutional expansion does not automatically get transformed into academic excellence. The proliferation of universities without adequate faculty recruitment, modern laboratories, research facilities, libraries and quality assurance mechanisms has created an imbalance between quantity and quality. I was in teaching profession for several years. I have painfully noticed how least qualified people become teachers, deans, departmental heads and so on though I have come to know some efficient teachers too but they are outnumbered by unskilled faculty members.

One of the most disturbing dimensions of this crisis is the declining quality of teaching. Effective pedagogy requires subject expertise, classroom engagement, critical inquiry, constructive feedback and the ability to connect theoretical knowledge with practical realities. Unfortunately, conventional lecture-based teaching and exam-oriented instruction continue to dominate many university classrooms. Students are frequently encouraged to memorize handouts or lecture sheets rather than question established ideas, conduct independent investigations or develop analytical skills. Such practices are fundamentally inconsistent with the intellectual expectations of university education in the twenty-first century. A degree may certify academic completion, but it cannot guarantee competence, professional dexterity or intellectual depth.

Allegations of political influence, nepotism, internal disputes and professional patronage in certain institutions have repeatedly raised concerns about meritocracy. When academic appointments become vulnerable to considerations irrelevant to scholarly achievement, universities gradually lose their intellectual credibility. A university should be a sanctuary of knowledge, not an extension of political competition or an employment center for privileged individuals.

The role of the University Grants Commission (UGC) is therefore particularly significant. Established as the statutory coordinating and regulatory authority for monitoring the standards of university education, the UGC has responsibilities associated with funding, academic standards, institutional development and supervision. Its regulatory surveillance should help ensure that universities comply with established academic requirements and maintain acceptable educational standards. However, the central concern is whether existing monitoring and quality assurance mechanisms are sufficiently effective, independent and consistent. If institutions repeatedly demonstrate weaknesses in teaching quality, faculty qualifications, research productivity and governance, we deserve to know what corrective measures have been taken.

Bangladesh has established several mechanisms intended to strengthen higher education quality, including institutional quality assurance initiatives and the Bangladesh Accreditation Council. Nevertheless, the existence of regulations and accreditation frameworks should not be confused with their successful implementation. Rules that remain confined to official documents, committee meetings and institutional reports cannot transform classrooms. Regulatory authorities must move beyond procedural compliance and examine the actual educational experiences of students. They should investigate whether teachers attend classes regularly, whether courses are completed according to approved curricula, whether examinations are conducted fairly and whether graduates acquire the competencies their degrees supposedly represent.

There is also a troubling question of accountability. When a university fails to sustain minimum academic standards, who bears responsibility? Is it the vice-chancellor, the academic council, the department chair, the governing authority or the regulatory institution? Institutional responsibility is often fragmented, allowing individuals and organizations to shift blame when problems become exposed. Such administrative ambiguity weakens governance and encourages complacency. The UGC must therefore establish measurable performance indicators and publish periodic institutional assessments. Universities should be evaluated not merely on enrollment figures, physical infrastructure or the number of departments, but also on teaching effectiveness, research integrity, graduate employability, academic freedom and students’ substantial progress.

Universities cannot claim academic distinction without producing meaningful research that contributes to knowledge, technological innovation and national development. Yet inadequate research funding, insufficient laboratory facilities, limited access to international academic databases, excessive administrative responsibilities and weak institutional incentives discourage serious scholarly engagement. In some cases, the credibility of research is further threatened by plagiarism, substandard publications, abusing artificial intelligence (AI) and the pursuit of academic promotions through immoral nexus.

Employers increasingly expect graduates to demonstrate communication skills, technological competence, English language proficiency, ethical judgment and practical knowledge. When university curriculum remains disconnected from labor-market realities, graduates struggle to compete in an increasingly demanding domestic and international employment environment. Families invest substantial financial and emotional resources in higher education, expecting meaningful professional opportunities in return. Bangladesh cannot achieve its development ambitions through certificates alone; it requires graduates who can innovate, lead and solve complex predicaments.

The government and the UGC must therefore reconsider the priorities of higher studies regulation. First, university inspections should be regular, independent, evidence-based and publicly reported. Second, faculty recruitment and promotion must follow transparent, merit-based procedures, with political interference strictly discouraged. Third, universities should introduce compulsory pedagogical training and continuous professional development for faculty members. Fourth, institutional funding should be linked, at least partly, to demonstrable academic performance, research quality and student outcomes. Fifth, independent accreditation should become a credible mechanism for identifying institutional weaknesses and requiring corrective action. Finally, students, parents, alumni and employers should have meaningful opportunities to contribute to institutional quality assessments.


Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury is a 
contributor to different English newspapers 
and magazines. The writer is also a Commonwealth Open University Fellow.