President Abdul Hamid on Sunday asked the vice-chancellors of all public universities to be vigilant with a view to maintaining the reputation of their respective institutions.
“The quality of education as well as the campus atmosphere will have to be developed at all universities,” he said.
The President made the observations when a delegation of the Association of Universities of Bangladesh, led by its president Prof Dr M Mahbubur Rahman, Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University, paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.
The delegation comprised the Vice-Chancellors of all public universities including Dhaka University VC Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique and University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Dr A K Azad Chowdhury.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid were also present in the meeting.
During the meeting, the President, also the Chancellor of all the universities, stressed enhancing the quality of education in the public universities.
Responding to the delegation’s demand to pay income tax of the teachers from the respective university as earlier, President Abdul Hamid said: “It is the citizen’s duty to pay tax. Moreover, the people of the country will be inspired to pay income tax if the teachers of the highest seats of learning pay their own tax.”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said significant progress has been brought in the higher education sector in recent years. He, however, admitted that the allocation for research at the universities is not sufficient.
Muhith said the government is contemplating to form an independent pay structure for the university teachers.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid informed the President that at present, a total of 104 public and private universities are operating in the country while permission of 10 more universities is in the process.
He said the education sector has started deriving benefit from the new law for the private universities.
Secretaries concerned of the President’s Office were also present.
Source: UNBConnect
