How many universities are needed in Bangladesh?

The students of Government Titumir College in the capital have called off their movement after the government assured them that a committee would be formed to consider converting the college into a university. The students had been protesting for several days demanding university status for their institution. On Tuesday afternoon, a delegation of the students went to the Secretariat for discussions. During the talks, the government assured them that a committee would be formed within 7 working days to address the demand. Earlier, on Monday, the students had blocked roads and railways throughout the day, causing near paralysis in the capital. There were reports in the media that some of the agitated students threw bricks at moving trains, injuring several people, including children.

Incidentally, when the historic Jagannath College, located in Old Dhaka, was converted into a university, Titumir College was also included in that list. If we divide Dhaka city into North and South, it is clear that in the southern part, there are two public universities: Dhaka University and Jagannath University. However, there is no public university in the northern part. Based on this reasoning, the demand to make Titumir a university might not be unreasonable.

Recently, students held human chains and protest programs demanding the establishment of a fully autonomous public university consisting of the seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University. Their complaint is that since these colleges became affiliated with Dhaka University in 2017, they have faced various forms of discrimination for the past seven years. In this context, they are now demanding the creation of an independent university to resolve the various issues in higher education. It is worth mentioning that these colleges were previously under the National University. These colleges are Dhaka College, Government Eden Mohila College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Government Titumir College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Begum Badarunnesa Government Mohila College, and Government Bangla College.

In 2017, when the decision was made, it was stated that the admission process and examinations for the students of these affiliated colleges would be managed by Dhaka University, and their educational activities would follow the curriculum of Dhaka University. Three years earlier, on August 31, 2014, during a visit to the Ministry of Education, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had directed the Ministry to affiliate the government colleges under the National University with relevant public and autonomous universities in their respective areas to reduce the burden on the National University. However, the students of these colleges have complained that, despite being affiliated with Dhaka University, they have faced various forms of neglect and discrimination. As a result, they do not wish to remain under Dhaka University and instead demand a separate university. In this context, students of Titumir College are now demanding a separate university. The question arises: if the students of Titumir College' demands gain momentum and the students from the other six colleges affiliated with Dhaka University, along with Tejgaon College and other large colleges in Dhaka and across the country, also take to the streets demanding their own universities, what will be the outcome?

How many universities are needed?
How many universities does a country need? How many public, autonomous, and private universities are necessary? Furthermore, is it still relevant in today’s world to classify universities into categories such as public, autonomous, and private? This question cannot be overlooked.

It is worth recalling that during the previous government, a weird decision was made to establish a university in every district. As part of implementing this decision, a large number of public and private universities have been established across the country. However, a bigger question arises: why does each district need a university, and why does every district in a small country like Bangladesh require a university? Even more important is the question of how many institutions in Bangladesh truly meet the definition of a university, or how many institutions have actually been developed into universities.

There are so many universities in Bangladesh, then why does even Dhaka University, which some enthusiasts refer to as the 'Oxford of the East,' not appear in the list of the world’s top universities?
Last month, Times Higher Education published its list of the world’s top universities for 2025, and none of Bangladesh’s universities were among the top 800. Not even Dhaka University or BUET, two of the country's leading institutions, made it into the top 1,000 universities. In contrast, 22 universities from India and 9 from Pakistan were included in the top 800.

Why does each district need a university? The simple answer is that each university is a project. An infrastructure project. It involves large land acquisitions. Even before the land is acquired, business preparations begin. Who will benefit from the land acquisition, how much will the intermediaries get for facilitating the land purchase, and what portion each stakeholder will receive—these things are settled even before the project begins. Then, during the construction process, the project determines who the contractor is, who will supply the building materials, how much each party gets, and so on.

During the construction of the infrastructure, the recruitment process begins. Who will be hired, what considerations will influence the decisions, and how much money will be involved in bribes for each position—these are all part of the multi-million dollar trade. Moreover, even after the university is operational, there are successive projects. In other words, the entire matter is a financial game. The main focus here is not to educate the nation, improve the quality of education, or engage in cutting-edge research. Instead, the focus is on providing jobs to party loyalists and financially empowering them. However, the idea of having a university in every district in a small country like Bangladesh is absurd, unrealistic, and unnecessary.

Why does each district need a university? Is it really necessary to have a university in every district to promote the development of knowledge and science, create a thoughtful population, prepare new areas for research, and develop skilled human resources for the country's overall development? Rather, the question should be whether the universities that currently exist are truly fulfilling the definition of a university. If they are not, it would be more logical to identify their challenges and address them swiftly.

Is the concept of a university clear?
Perhaps the concept of a university is not clear in our country. If it were, the policymakers would not have been advocating for establishing universities in every district. Instead, they would have focused more on the urgent need for better quality secondary schools and improved public hospitals across the districts. Unfortunately, the government's attention in this regard has been less than adequate.

It is often said that schools provide education, colleges are for students to learn, and universities are meant to create new knowledge, challenge existing knowledge and ideas. However, it has long been a complaint that our universities are merely advanced versions of colleges. The primary function of a university is research, but outside of a few specialized institutions, is real research happening in our universities? How much meaningful discussion is there about research within these institutions? The public remains largely unaware.

Looking at international news sources, we can see that universities frequently publish research findings, and these results often make major headlines in the media. How many times do our country’s largest and most well-known public universities make the news for their research? Instead, one notable incident involved a professor from Dhaka University’s medicine faculty conducting research on the quality of milk available in the market, which led to the head of the state questioning the validity of his findings.

What is behind the protests?
There is ongoing public discussion about whether, following the political changes of August 5, the large numbers of people taking to the streets across the capital and various parts of the country with their demands are driven solely by a desire to achieve those demands, or if there are other political motives at play. In other words, is there a political group fueling these protests to create instability in the country, or is someone setting a trap where students and other social groups are unknowingly falling into it? Before these groups take to the streets with their demands, have they considered that it is unlikely that an unelected government will be able to fulfill all of their demands, and that an interim government does not have a mandate to address them?

The reality is that, until August 5, when the downfall of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League government occurred, the movement led by students had widespread support and enthusiasm from the general public, irrespective of party affiliation. However, that reality no longer exists. Now, when they or any other group take to the streets, creating public sufferings, the people are becoming upset and irritated. Harsh comments can be overheard while people try to go about their daily routines. Therefore, just as the ruling party was advised during the July protests with the words, “read the writing on the wall,” those who are now protesting with their demands should be told the same: understand the sentiments of the people. Because, as demonstrated by the July uprising, achieving any demands without the support of the general public is extremely difficult.

To conclude, we quote a Facebook post by Rajshahi University teacher Gautam Roy: “We have established countless universities so that no real university can ever be established. Along with this, we have instilled in everyone the desire to think of their own as a university.”

Amin Al Rasheed: Journalist and writer.