|
National University established in 1992 under
the National University Act (Act No. 37 of 1992) to relieve the existing
universities from the unwieldy roll strength of the students seeking higher
education, and at the same time, to ameliorate the conditions prevailing
in the affiliated colleges and to improve the quality of teaching. Qudrat-I-Khuda
Education Commission (1974) recommended the establishment of four affiliating
universities in the then four administrative divisions of the country.
The university
grants commission (UGC) constituted a ten-member committee
headed by Professor Kazi Abdul Latif to prepare a report on the
establishment of an affiliating university. After reviewing the
proposal of the committee, the UGC recommended (5 November 1985)
to the government for the establishment of the National University.
|
|
National University, Gazipur |
At that time, there were 462 degree colleges in the country.
Of these colleges, 43 were offering Bachelor Honours and 12 Masters courses
in different subjects. Besides, there were eight medical colleges, two
agriculture colleges, and four engineering colleges, which were affiliated
institutions under the care of the Universities of Dhaka, Rajshahi and
Chittagong and the Bangladesh Agriculture University. All these universities
were overburdened with their obligation towards the affiliated colleges.
As a result, academic standard of the affiliated colleges could not be
maintained. The UGC recommended the establishment of an affiliating university
to improve the standard of education of the affiliated colleges of four
universities of the country through updating the curricula and syllabi
and regular training of the college teachers for promotion of their professional
quality. With the promulgation of National University Act all the general
degree colleges of the country, including those teaching law, education,
music and fine arts came under the purview of this university. National
University was vested with powers to affiliate degree colleges of the
country, excepting those teaching agriculture, engineering and medicine,
and to frame curricula and syllabi, look into the development and dissemination
of knowledge, provide teaching and research facilities, hold examinations,
and confer degrees.
The university has three academic units: School of Undergraduate Studies; School of Post Graduate Studies, Training and Research Centre; and Curriculum Development and Evaluation Centre. About 1,300 affiliated colleges, which are integral parts of the university provide BA/BSS/BSc/BCom (Pass and Honours), MA/MSS/MSc/MCom, BEd, MEd, BPEd, LLB, BBA and some other equivalent courses. There are about 800,000 students in these colleges. There are four institutes in the University: Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences; Institute of Natural Sciences; Institute of Life Sciences; and Institute of Liberation, Bangabandhu and Bangladesh Studies. These institutes offer post-graduate research courses. At present, there are 202 officers and 510 employees working in the university.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the Chancellor of
the University. [Feroze Akhtar] |
