Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Sunday | 12 January 2025 | Epaper

First three priorities: Education, education and education

(Concluding part)

Published : Thursday, 28 November, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 236
Mahbubar Rahman
Mahbubar Rahman

Mahbubar Rahman

Educational institution and the universities all over the world contributed greatly in infusing quality education over the ages, few names of which deserve special mention at this point. I feel it pertinent to give a brief account of ten leading universities across the world that rank top ten in the World University Ranking 2019. To begin with, name of Oxford University which tops the list as per 2019 survey, followed by the University of Cambridge, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Imperial College in London, University of Chicago deserve special mention at this point. In ranking, these universities rotate in every year in top ranking as per their performances and achievements.

Among the above noted top ten universities, names of Oxford, Cambridge MIT and Harvard come first in mind because of the world-wide popularity and rapport particularly in this part of the world as the highest seats of learning.

The purpose of giving a brief account of few noted universities is to recapitulate that through the vehicles of educational institution and renowned world class universities one can ascend to glory and fame. Education has no substitute and no a short-cut exercise either.

As far as education in Bangladesh is concerned, despite government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is giving priority to education sector with distributing book to all level of school going students free of cost, Bangladesh has to walk miles to reach the height of world class education for obvious reason. A namesake education in only quantitative measure has no value in the competitive world market where education measured in qualitative term is demanded. At present, there are more than 154 both public and private universities in Bangladesh.

Regrettably, these universities reflect a dismal picture in World University Ranking whereas many universities of Asian and African countries have secured their positions fairly. Among many other reasons, budgetary constraint is one of the prime reasons which acts as deterrent to ensuring world-class education. A significant percentage of country's GDP should be allotted to country's education system without any reservation.
Our government should determine first three priorities: Education, education, and education with giving, side by side with Bangla, due importance equally to English as medium of instruction in all levels for achieving world-class education without wasting time. This humble submission of mine is intended in the greater interest of the nation which will not dampen our formidable spirit of Bengali Nationalism within, and unalloyed love for our mother language, as I reason.  

Postscript:
As stated, despite the government of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been trying hard to make the basic education widely available to all citizens of the country and equally trying to improve the quality of education in the higher university level to, if not world-class but to a certain acceptable standard; an International survey recently conducted suggest that not a single university in Bangladesh has been able to secure their places in the ranking of 1000 Asian Universities where 20 Indian universities, 7 Pakistani Universities and 1 Nepalese University have been able to suitably found their places in the ranking. It is a matter of our collective shame in deed for the universities of Bangladesh that we often boast, of without giving insight into the matter if these universities are at all imparting world class or reasonably good education to their students.

Recent unrests and pandemonium in a few public universities suggest that a section of our university students and teachers are dedicated more in politics with generating constant chaos in the campus than in education. An impasse is still underway in Jahangirnagar University for last couple of months centring on reported corruption by the Vice Chancellor which has provoked unending agitation and anarchy by a section of teachers and students demanding VC'S removal, although it is not a new phenomena in the Jahangirnagar University where a good number of VC'S had either to be removed or relinquished their position under duress in the face of chaos and agitation in the campus.

In order to quell the situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently rightly said that if the corruption allegation against VC is proved after an investigation, then the VC will have to suffer consequences or otherwise if the allegations are not proved by enough credible evidences of corruptions or any other misdeeds, then the agitators should equally face the consequence for their months long act of anarchy and vandalism in the campus by taking the majority of innocent students as hostage and causing enormous damage to academic life.

A recent horrendous incident that look places in BUET leading to cruel death of Abrar Fahad by lynching by some fellow students of the university clearly depicts a picture how cruel and inhumane the fellow 'Medhabi' (meritorious) students could be, by painting smear in the face of our collective psyche. Time has now come to re-write the definition of 'Medhabi'. What does the term 'Medhabi' really mean in the real sence of the term? Does anyone without bearing basic human qualities blended with aesthetic values of life in his trait and securing only good scores in the examination by memorizing or cramming answers to question papers qualify to wear the badge of 'Medhabi'? BUET students are often said to be 'Medhabi' for their academic feat. Therefore, the killers, though they do not necessarily represent BUET, of Abrab Fahad arithmetically fall under the category of 'Medhabi' students in that consideration. 'Medhabis' without basic human qualities some time come out even worse than devils. Frankenstein was also a 'Medhabi' scientist who created a monster that wanted to devour Frankstein before being destroyed by Frankenstein himself.

Real 'Medhabis' or meritorious or brilliant whatever we may call them are those who are well bred with all known human qualities and then shape their lives brilliantly with their acquired light of knowledge and wisdom really meaningful to their respective society and the country. An empty vessel of 'Medhabi' without human qualities is a disgusting phrase of which people are sick and tired of hearing constantly by the courtesy of print and electronic media these days. Let us pray and hope that this country brims in full with really 'meritorious and brilliant' students who can make them competitive in the world marked with achieving world class education.

A new phenomenon in the name of bullying and ragging in the university campus has added salt to wound that refuse to heal in the sick education sector. Some incidents of bullying and ragging in the universities practically in BUET that have been recently surfaced are horrifying. Innocent and relatively physically weaker section of students usually fall victim to wanton physical persecution and lynching by senior students of robust health deeply indulged in student politics. This kind of physical and mental torture on newly admitted young students in the name of ragging is an act of open hooliganism which should be immediately banned by the university authority with keeping provisions for stern punitive actions against those monstrous bullies and raggers. Young college passed student enter the new world for pursuing higher studies in the universities and not to fall prey to devils in human shape flexing muscles in the university campus. Vile hands of those bullies and raggers must be clipped in the university campus once for all in order to ensure peaceful environment in the universities conducive to the requirement of world-class education. First three priorities: Education, education and education should be the slogan in the university campus where menacing bullies, raggers, anarchists and killers should have no space at all. God bless us.

The writer is a former Civil Servant










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