(a) What is higher education? (b) What are the categories of higher education in Bangladesh? (c) How many public, and private universities, and colleges are there in Bangladesh? (d) What are the features of public universities? (e) Why is access to university education limited in Bangladesh? (1) How can this problem be solved?
Answer: Higher education is an advanced level of study. It is also called tertiary education. Its courses are usually studied at universities, colleges, and higher educational institutions. Higher education in Bangladesh comprises two categories of institutions: degree-awarding universities and colleges affiliated with the National University: but each of the medical colleges is affiliated with a public university. Right now there are 37 public universities in the country while there were only four universities before our independence. Moreover, there are 80 private and 3 international universities for providing higher education. The number of colleges providing higher education is around 1.400. Most of them offer BA (pass) education of three years’ duration and only one-third of them offer B.A. (Honors) courses. Public universities are the foremost choice of the majority of students who seek higher education. These universities offer various subjects in Science, Commerce, Humanities, Engineering, Technology, Law, Education, and Medicine disciplines. Their library, laboratory, internet, and research facilities are much better there than anywhere else in the country. Moreover, residential facilities at subsidized rates are available in these public universities. Because of a limited number of seats in public universities, and the high tuition fees charged by the private universities, access to university education is rather limited in Bangladesh. We cannot solve the problem overnight but it can be lessened gradually. The number of public universities must be increased. High charges at the private universities should be reduced so that the poor students can have the access to the institutions. In this regard, the government should take the responsibility and necessary steps.
