UGC plans to warn students against admission to some private universities

Irregularities of private universities
●    Unapproved programmes run by North South, ZH Sikder University, and Pundra University
●    South Asia University, Stamford, Daffodil, Shanto-Mariam, UODA, Southeast and Northern University have unapproved campuses
●    University of Cumilla has no permission to resume academic activities
●    Ibais University does not have an approved address
●    Southern University is facing legal challenges

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is going to issue a public circular against 19 private universities, including North South University, for a series of irregularities such as running unapproved campuses and programmes.

The commission finds that these universities run operations with temporary clearance from the court, engage in disputes with their boards of trustees, conduct programmes and courses without permission and fail to launch academic activities even after getting permission.

The UGC will ask students not to choose unapproved campuses of these universities for higher studies.

Omar Faruque, director of the UGC's Private University Division, told The Business Standard that they have already uploaded the names of the universities involved in various irregularities to the UGC website.

"We have a plan to issue a public circular on Sunday to this effect," he said.

The commission will urge all admission seekers and their guardians to only choose authorised campuses of these universities.

The commission has also asked students to check the status of these private universities from links on the UGC website – not from the universities' own websites.

North South University (NSU) has been found conducting BBA courses in finance, human resource management, international business, marketing, management, management information systems, accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, and supply chain management without the approval of the UGC.

Asked about the irregularities, the university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Atiqul Islam said NSU and the UGC have a "difference of perspective".

"The UGC officials did not understand the matter," he said. "We have been conducting these programmes for many years. It is a matter of misunderstanding between the UGC and North South University. We will sit with the commission next Monday to resolve the problem."

ZH Sikder University of Science and Technology and Pundra University of Science and Technology are running programmes not approved by the UGC.

The UGC has deleted the web page of the Ibais University from its website as the university has no approved address.

The commission did not permit the University of Cumilla to restart its academic activities while the Southern University Bangladesh is facing legal challenges over its ownership and enrolment of students.

The UGC has found conflicts going on between the board of trustees and members of Britannia University and Sylhet International University.

The Ministry of Education approved the Queens University on 6 September 2015 on the condition that it would comply with all formalities within a year, but the deadline has expired.

Victoria University of Bangladesh, Uttara University, Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, University of Development Alternative, Southeast University, and Northern University Bangladesh are running their academic activities in unapproved campuses.

Syed Mizanur Rahman Raju, director of Students' Affairs at Daffodil International University, told TBS they have a building in the city which is a storeroom, but they run all academic activities on their main campuses in Ashulia.

Gono Bishwabidyalay runs BBA, Environmental Science, MBBS, BDS, and Physiotherapy programmes obtaining a stay order from the High Court for six months with effect from 26 November 2017.

In 2019 also, the UGC warned students against enrolment in 30 private institutions listed for various irregularities.

There are 107 private universities in the country and eight are yet to start academic activities.