Live Correspondent: The Association of Private University of Bangladesh (APUB) on Tuesday urged government to halt approval of study center of a foreign university in the country. APUB Chairman Sheikh Kabir Hossain came up with the demand through a media statement saying that it is against the private university act-2010.

APUB said education ministry recently gave approval to run Monash College (Australia) Study Center in Bangladesh. The approval to run the study center as a profitable institution has caused great concern and anxiety in the country’s growing higher education sector.

It said the Bangladeshi private universities are running as non-profitable higher educational institutions under the Trust Act-1882. But the education ministry gave approval to the foreign university study center under the Company Act-1994 as a profitable organization, which is in conflict with the Private University Act-2010.

Earlier, on February 23, 2015, APUB sent letters to Education Ministry and University Grants Commission (UGC) requesting to formulate rules consistent with the Single Policy and Private Universities Act 2010 regarding set up study centers of foreign university.

At that time, the Education Ministry had assured the APUB that they will not give permission until amendment of the ‘Foreign university its branches or study centres operating policy-2014.”

APUB said Private universities will face unequal competition if approval is granted to operate profitable branch campuses of foreign universities on easy terms and conditions under the discriminatory rules. There is a risk of certificate business by operating branch campus of low-quality foreign university in Bangladesh, it warned

It also said the entrepreneurs in private universities will be discouraged if such a dual policy is implemented in the higher education sector in the country.

Dhaka, 12 May (campuslive24.com)//AIT