Quality of HE in Private Universities of Bangladesh: The Four Fundamental Perspectives

Abstract

Since its inception, Higher Education (HE) has always been playing a critical role for national development through the development of skilled manpower and intellectual civic society. Continuous paradigm shifting in HE in term of institutions' pattern and course delivery mode and method has always been the part of the process of HE transformation. Consequently, private HE bears a long heritage and history. However, 'commercialisation' of HE through private provision is relatively new and the developing nation has been experiencing this since early 1990s with rapid expansion. The modernistic concept known as 'commodification in HE' has significantly impacted HE by changing the course curricula, targeted students', teachers' community , delivery mode, and methods of HE. The current research which is first of its kind in Bangladesh is a qualitative study using interviews, 'perception survey' and observation conducted in private universities, which covers 71% of university students. Findings show that legislators, stakeholders, students, parents and academics consider private HE as a tool for individual gain without deliberating HE as public goods which is vital for national development.

Influences of working condition and faculty retention on quality education in private universities in Bangladesh

“…There have been several studies related to quality education in private universities in Bangladesh such as Haque (2004), Ashraf et al (2008), Naser (2008), Ashraf (2009), Jalil (2009), Ashraf et al (2009), Ashraf and Joarder (2010), Mamun (2011), Akareem and Hossain (2012), Joarder (2012), Mazumder (2014), Ashraf et al (2016) and Alam and Parvin (2017), but none of these studies have dealt specifically with the influences of particular factors of working condition and faculty retention on quality education in private higher education sector. In this respect, the present study can have an important contribution in filling this research gap in the case of HRM practices of working environment which can significantly influence faculty turnover intention and in turn on quality education in the private higher education domain.…”

How do you change the world? The role of working condition in quest for excellence in quality education: evidence from Bangladesh

“…The quest for excellence in quality education has been considered the first and foremost priority in the private universities in Bangladesh, as their establishment in the early 1990s (Alam and Parvin, 2017;). As then, a large number of private universities have been mushrooming all over Bangladesh.…”

Quality assurance for private universities in Bangladesh

“…Since its inception in Cairo, the University’s aim was to produce competent religious scholars and future leaders. Later, Europe started dominating the higher education (HE) operation through public provision (Clark, 2001; Alam and Parvin, 2017). While the basic postulate of HE remains the same, European HE focussed on science and medicine compared to its Middle East counterparts (Kleiman, 2008; Tilak, 1999).…”

“…US HE was not in the limelight till the 1900s. The revolutionary shift of paradigm in HE was encountered by US educational system through public and private provisions (Altbach and Knight, 2007; Alam and Parvin, 2017). This transformation made the society realise that every profession demands competent professionals to have a balanced development across all educational sectors for national development.…”

“…Many scholars see these as central for the development and rapid expansion of private HE (Alam et al , 2010). Since the developing countries have been struggling with a tight budget, the international organisations have come forward to help them in increasing their quantitative primary and secondary enrolment at the cost of quality (Alam and Parvin, 2017). An increased low-quality primary and secondary graduate has created a bigger market for HE that is difficult to be absorbed for the lack of competent academics, inadequate infrastructure and incompetency of thousands of run-of-the-mill graduates.…”