Why our tertiary education falls far short of global standards

Academics have identified weak research performance, inadequate funding, limited internationalisation, outdated academic practices and governance challenges as the key factors preventing Bangladeshi universities from improving their positions in global university rankings.

The observations came from separate analyses by Professor Tariq Manzoor of the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka and Professor Pranab Kumar Panday of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Rajshahi, who outlined a range of structural reforms needed to enhance the country's higher education standards.

According to the latest QS World University Rankings 2026, no Bangladeshi university is among Asia's top 100 institutions. The University of Dhaka ranks 132nd, followed by North South University at 149th and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) at 165th.

Professor Tariq Manzoor said international ranking systems such as QS, Times Higher Education (THE), Webometrics and the Shanghai Ranking assess universities using multiple indicators, including academic reputation, teaching quality, research output, citations, innovation, graduate employability, international collaboration and institutional reputation.

He noted that many ranking organisations rely heavily on information published on university websites. As a result, universities that fail to maintain updated digital platforms showcasing academic programmes, research, faculty achievements and institutional activities are likely to lose visibility in global assessments.

The academic stressed that improving research quality should be a top priority. He said universities should focus not only on increasing the number of research publications but also on producing work that gains international recognition and citations.

Professor Manzoor also highlighted Bangladesh's limited internationalisation, saying universities continue to attract relatively few foreign students and faculty members while participating in only a limited number of international research collaborations and exchange programmes.

He recommended strengthening digital services, establishing dedicated Quality Assurance Cells in every university, expanding faculty development programmes and introducing a transparent national university ranking system under the University Grants Commission (UGC) to encourage healthy competition among institutions.

Professor Pranab Kumar Panday pointed to inadequate funding and outdated infrastructure as major obstacles to academic excellence. He said insufficient investment has restricted the development of modern laboratories, libraries, research centres and other facilities necessary for quality education and innovation.

He also identified weak research culture, shortage of qualified faculty members and brain drain as key challenges affecting the competitiveness of Bangladeshi universities.

Professor Panday further argued that politicisation has negatively affected university governance by influencing faculty recruitment and leadership appointments, often at the expense of merit and academic qualifications.

According to him, universities should prioritise merit-based appointments, expand research funding, modernise curricula, promote critical thinking and strengthen international partnerships to improve educational quality and global competitiveness.

Both academics agreed that Bangladesh possesses significant potential to improve its higher education sector but stressed that sustained reforms, increased investment in research, stronger institutional governance and greater international engagement will be essential if the country's universities are to achieve better positions in future global rankings.