Colleges must improve quality or face action: National University VC

The National University will take necessary action against colleges that fail to meet the required standards for running honours courses, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A S M Amanullah has said.

He said data collection and evaluation of colleges across the country are ongoing. If the environment and quality of education do not improve, action will be taken in accordance with regulations after consulting the education ministry.

The VC made the remarks during a question-and-answer session at a press conference on a teacher training programme held at the National University's city office in Dhanmondi on Friday, June 5 .

The VC noted that honours and master's courses were introduced in many colleges at different times for various reasons, but equal quality of education could not be ensured across all institutions.

Around 90 per cent of field-level data on colleges has already been collected. An analysis is being conducted to determine which colleges have the necessary teachers, infrastructure and environment to run honours courses and which do not.

Colleges have been told over the past two years to increase teacher numbers, develop infrastructure and ensure an educational environment. Some institutions have yet to make the necessary improvements. While they will be given more time, the university will take action if the situation does not improve, the VC said.

He also cited concerns over the effective use of state resources. "In many cases, we see 15 teachers in a subject but only three students. This is a matter of concern regarding the effective use of state resources and good governance," he said .

The VC clarified confusion regarding per-student government expenditure. While direct university allocation appears low, the overall per-student expenditure is much higher when including teacher salaries under the MPO scheme.

All honours and master's programmes are gradually incorporating job-oriented and skill-based education. Students from almost all departments, not just subjects like Bangla, English or history, will be given opportunities to acquire employable skills.

Attendance has been made compulsory at 60 per cent. The scrutiny and monitoring of in-course examination answer scripts have also been strengthened.