Edu minister raising concerns over lawmakers’ use of title 'Dr'

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon has questioned the quality and credibility of PhD degrees awarded in the country, while also raising concerns over lawmakers’ use of the title “Dr” and professional designations such as principal and vice-principal alongside their names in Parliament.



“There is an abundance of PhDs in Bangladesh. Are these really PhDs?” he asked.

The minister cited his own PhD degree from Malaysia as an example, saying the certificate carried a verification mark that could be scanned to retrieve information about the qualification from the country’s Ministry of Education.

“Are we doing it this way?” he asked, stressing the need for effective verification of academic credentials.

Milon also criticised the practice of using professional designations as part of names in Parliament, questioning why lawmakers identify themselves by titles such as principal or vice-principal.

“Your name is not vice-principal or principal. You are upholding your status.''

Addressing Bangladesh Open University, the minister questioned how the institution assessed the qualifications and academic standards of candidates receiving PhD degrees.

“Your university is awarding PhDs, but how qualified are these PhDs? How do you know that?” he asked.

His remarks highlighted concerns over the verification, quality assurance and public credibility of doctoral qualifications in Bangladesh.