No university from the country in top 300 list of Asia's best universities: Why?

The British-based education magazine "Times Higher Education" has published a list of the top universities in Asia for the year 2024. The published list, released last Wednesday (May 1), does not include any educational institution from Bangladesh among the top 300 universities in Asia. Following the publication of this news, discussions are escalating on social media. Even the news media have given importance by publishing the news. The question arises, why is there no university from the country in the top 300 list of Asia's best universities?

As a reason for this, everyone is raising questions. Do students lack interest in education? Are teachers not teaching well? Is there a lack of budget in the education sector? Or are universities becoming valueless due to a lack of research? Many are raising such questions, wondering if it's due to politics in universities.

Bangladesh has a total of 37 Government Universities, including 4 autonomous public universities. According to one news outlet, the number of private universities in the country is over 110. Determining the exact number is difficult as new universities are getting approval every few months. Some government and private universities in the country have gained quite a reputation. Especially, students and their parents take pride in studying at universities like BUET, Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, or BRAC University.

It can be seen from the publication of the list by the education magazine that none of these universities are among the top 300 universities in Asia. The positions of BUET and Jahangirnagar University are within 301-350. The positions of Bangladesh Agricultural University and North South University are within 351-400. However, in the top 3 lists, India has 40 universities, Pakistan has 12, and Malaysia has 11 universities.

Many are expressing frustration over this news. But it is necessary to think about effective ways to overcome this situation. Almost all the allegations mentioned above are true. In Bangladesh, there is not enough budget in the education sector, nor is there enthusiasm for research. On the other hand, many incompetent teachers are not teaching well. As a result, there is not much interest in studying among students. Most talented young people in the country are now going abroad. Even those who have a moderate level of intelligence only study with the aim of becoming a BCS cadre. There is not much enthusiasm for intellectual discussions.

In the modern world, knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth. If we cannot increase enthusiasm for intellectual discussions, then our manpower will only depend on physical labor. Taking this list as a warning sign, we need to be more aware. The only way to stand tall in the modern world is through the improvement of the education system. We hope that students, teachers, and policymakers in the country will pay more attention to education. That's what we hope for.