HIGHER EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH
Great value has traditionally been placed on higher education, and people with university degrees and professional qualifications are accorded respect and high status. In rural areas educational opportunities are few and thus most highly educated people live in urban areas. Only a minority of people can afford to send their children to technical college and fewer still can afford university. University have traditionally come from wealthy, elite or professional families but in recent decades an efforts has been to provide loans and other financial support so talented students from poorer families can attend university. [Source: “Countries and Their Cultures”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”: “The government invests a lot of money in higher education, and the quality of teaching in some areas, especially technical fields, is relatively good. However, the overall quality of university graduates in Bangladesh is lacking in the face of demands from the modern world, especially in fields such as information technology and engineering. Many well-educated Bangladeshis have been educated overseas, and many of them have been supported by the state or international organizations. There is a brain drain situation as many such students chose not to return home after graduating from overseas universities. This has contributed to a shortage of doctors, information technology experts, qualified teachers and professionals in various fields in Bangladesh. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002]
Ashakant Nimbark, wrote in the “World Education Encyclopedia”: “Although the number of government and private universities and colleges has been steadily increasing since Bangladesh gained statehood in 1972, the enrollment completion rates are still very low. The major factors related to the problems of low enrollment and high dropout rates at the college and university levels in Bangladesh seem to be a combination of factors, including poverty.” Even though tertiary education in Bangladesh is relatively inexpensive, it is beyond the means of poor people who earn only a few dollars a day. Another factor is large-scale unemployment. This is a major source of frustration among the graduates, particularly among those majoring in the liberal arts. [Source: Ashakant Nimbark, “World Education Encyclopedia”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
Enrollment and Higher Education Statistics for Bangladesh
Education
Gross enrollment tertiary: male: 28 percent; female: 20 percent; total: 24 percent.
Net enrollment secondary: male: 61 percent; female: 72 percent; total: 67 percent.
Adjusted net attendance rate, lower secondary education: 56 percent
Adjusted net attendance rate, upper secondary education: 48 percent
World Bank datatopics.worldbank.org, 2018 and 2019]
Pupil-teacher ratio, tertiary: 37
Tertiary education, academic staff female): 27 percent.
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, male: 13.4 percent.
Educational attainment, at least completed short-cycle tertiary, population 25+, female: 6.9 percent.
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population 25+, male: 12.9 percent
Educational attainment, at least Bachelor's or equivalent, population 25+, female: 6.7 percent
Educational attainment, at least Master's or equivalent, population 25+, male: 5.7 percent.
Educational attainment, at least Master's or equivalent, population 25+, female: 2.9 percent.
Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, male (%) (cumulative): 0.3 percent.
Educational attainment, Doctoral or equivalent, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative): 0.1 percent.
[Source: World Bank worldbank.org]
In 2003, about 6 percent of the tertiary age population were enrolled in some type of higher education program. The total enrollment in the 7 universities in 1986 was estimated at 27,487, of which 80 percent were male. The number of college students increased from 238,580 in 1980 to 603,915 in 1986, according to government statistics. During that period, female enrollment increased from 29,000 to 115,000. [Source: James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Library of Congress, 1989; [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
Problems with Higher Education in Bangladesh
Bangladesh faces a number of problems, issues and challenges in higher education. Stefan Trines wrote in the World Education News and Review: “Crucially, Bangladesh has severe capacity shortages reflected in a low tertiary gross enrollment ratio (GER). Even though the country’s tertiary GER has doubled over the past decade, it stood at merely 17.6 percent in 2017. While that’s seven percentage points higher than in Pakistan, it’s a low percentage by international standards and trails India’s tertiary GER by a full 10 percentage points (UNESCO data). Seats at Bangladesh’s top tier of competitive public universities are so scarce that some 95 percent of upper-secondary school graduates are unable to attend these institutions; 17 applicants competed over one public university seat in 2015. [Source: Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
“Those that are admitted face overcrowded classrooms because of a shortage of lecturers. University curricula, meanwhile, are said to be of limited relevance to the needs of industry. In 2017, 16 percent of university graduates were unemployed compared with 7 percent of secondary school graduates. Many Bangladeshi companies reportedly prefer to hire better educated foreign graduates.
“The inability of public institutions to accommodate the surging demand for higher education among swelling cohorts of high school graduates has helped create a mushrooming private sector—the number of private universities in Bangladesh has surged to 103 since the country first allowed private higher education in 1992. While some of these institutions are top quality, elite institutions, others are lackluster, so that the higher education system is characterized by wide disparities.”
Types of Tertiary and Adult Education
There are 17 universities, 10 medical colleges, and 10 teacher-training colleges. Research institutions include the Bangla Academy (which sponsors translations of scientific and literary works into Bangla), the Asiatic Society, and the National Institute of Public Administration’s Institute of Law and International Affairs. [Source: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Thomson Gale, 2007]
In the early 2000s there were 114 technical colleges and vocational institutes, 1 dental college, a colleges of nursing, 4 specialized medical schools, 18 polytechnic institutes and 54 vocational institutes. The polytechnical schools offered three-year courses in a variety of technical and engineering fields. Technical Training Centers offer certificate and diploma course. The Bangladesh Open University offers degree and non-degree continuing education programs. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations”, Thomson Gale, 2007]
In 1986, there were 7 universities, 758 general colleges, and 50 professional (medical, dental, engineering, and law) colleges. More than 25 percent of the colleges were government managed; the rest were private but received substantial government grants. The private colleges were gradually being nationalized. In the 1980s, emphasis was being placed on the development of science teaching facilities in nongovernment colleges. Twelve government colleges were selected to offer graduate courses during the Third Five-Year Plan. [Source: James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Library of Congress, 1989 *]
In the late 1990s, the government emphasized "Educational for All" and introduced plans for new colleges and universities, especially in the fields of medicine, science, and information technology. Bangladesh National University, of which hundreds of colleges are affiliated, was modernized and revamped. Bangladesh has an open university.The Bangladesh Institute for Distance Education (BIDE) provides in-service training of teachers. [Source: Ashakant Nimbark, “World Education Encyclopedia”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
Some madrasahs provide post-secondary education in Islamic studies. Some approved Alia madrasahs can bachelor’s (Fazil) and master’s level (Kamil) qualifications. Traditionally, such education was under the auspices of the Islamic University, which had around for a long time, but as part of education reforms by the the Bangladeshi government in 2013 was put under control of the newly-created, government-funded Islamic Arabic University (IAU), which approves post-secondary madrasahs and oversees their programs and awards degrees, which includes a two-year pass or three-year honors Fazil degree, followed by a two-year Kamil degree. In 2017 decided, the government began recognizing postgraduate qualifications awarded by Qawmi madrasahs (Dawra) as equivalent to a university master’s degree in Islamic studies. There have been some discussion about whether the government should recognize other Qawmi degrees.Some Qawmi education boards oppose this fearing it would undermine their independence. [Source: Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
Universities in Bangladesh
The four main general-curriculum universities are the University of Dhaka, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, and Jahangir Nagar University. In addition there are the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Islamic University of Kushtia and the Islamic University of Technology in Tongi (near Dhaka).
The above-mentioned universities are located in Bangladesh’s largest urban areas. They are state supported and offer both undergraduate through post-graduate degrees. In the 1980s Universities were self-governing entities with 95 percent of their total expenditures paid through government block grants. The University Grants Commission, created in 1973, coordinated the funding and activities of the universities. A large number of scholarships and stipends were offered to students in education institutions at all levels.Qualitative improvement, enrollment stabilization, interuniversity rationalization of departments, and controlled expansion were some of the government objectives for college education in the mid- and late 1980s. [Source: James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Library of Congress, 1989 *]
ICEF Monitor reported: More than three million Bangladeshis are now enrolled in higher education, and the country’s University Grants Commission projects that that total will climb to 4.6 million by 2026. Even so, tertiary participation rates have lagged behind regional leaders, such as India and China, and the domestic system has struggled to keep pace with demand, in terms of the number of available spaces, the quality of education, and employment outcomes for graduates. [Source: ICEF Monitor, February 27, 2017]
University Admissions and Costs in Bangladesh
Competition to get into a university — especially at Dhaka University — is intense. Admission is dependent on scores on high school examinations held annually, patterned on the British system of education. Stefan Trines wrote in World Education News and Review: In 2017, there were 801,711 potential students who had passed the HSC exams, but fewer than 50,000 available seats in the top tier of competitive public universities. However, larger numbers of spaces are available at the less reputable and non-competitive National University, as well as in open distance education. [Source: Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
“Admission criteria differ by institution and faculty, but entrance examinations that are often hard to pass are a common requirement at competitive institutions in addition to set minimum GPAs in the HSC/Alim exams. There may also be minimum grade cutoffs in specific subjects (for example, high grades in mathematics for science programs). Science and engineering programs are generally harder to get into than programs in the social sciences and humanities. All public higher education institutions are required to use centralized entrance examinations in Bangla, English, and major-specific subjects, according to the current national education policy. Holders of 10+4 Diplomas in Engineering and similar credentials may also be admitted and might be granted some course exemptions. Admission into private universities tends to be far less difficult than into the highly selective public universities, but private universities offer only a limited range of degree programs and are often prohibitively expensive.
The average semester fees at private higher education institutions ranged from US$470 to US$946 in 2015.The Grameen Bank — which had great success bringing effort of granting micro credit to the rural poor in Bangladesh and won Muhammad Yunus the Nobel Peace Prize — launched a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) to help needy and talented college students pay for their education with annual loans. The cost for a university education are around U$30 a month in the 1990s.
University Curriculum
Curricula in nongovernment institutions of higher education traditionally has focused mostly on the humanities and social sciences. In recent years there has more of an effort to switch more to science and technology. Many government colleges and universities, however, offered advanced courses in natural, physical, and biological sciences. Sophisticated courses in language and literature, philosophy and philology, fine arts, and folk culture also were offered at the universities. Advanced research degrees, including doctorates, were offered in several disciplines of science, the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences. Faculty members at the government colleges and universities were usually well qualified, but research facilities were limited. [Source: James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Library of Congress, 1989 *]
To remove the heavy bias toward liberal arts education, greater attention was being focused in the late 1980s on technical education, which received the third highest allocation, after primary and secondary education, in the Third Five-Year Plan. In addition to four engineering colleges, Bangladesh had eighteen polytechnic institutes, four law colleges, two agricultural colleges, a graphic arts institute, an institute of glass and ceramics, a textile college, a college of leather technology, sixteen commercial institutes, and fifty-four vocational institutes in 1986. The nation also had ten medical colleges and one dental college, offering both graduate and postgraduate training. In addition, there were twenty-one nursing institutes, a music college, and a college of physical education.*
Because secondary and higher education benefited the small middle and upper classes and because the government defrayed a portion of the costs of private higher institutions through grants, the poor in effect subsidized the education of the affluent. This situation was most evident at the university level, where about 15 percent of the education budget was devoted to less than 0.5 percent of the student population. The technical education sector, which experienced some growth in the late 1980s, nevertheless failed to provide the numbers and kinds of personnel required for economic development. Most university training also failed to equip its recipients with marketable professional skills.*
University Life in Bangladesh
Public universities and many private universities use the semester system. In 2017, the government instructed all private universities to use the semester system. The languages of instruction in higher education are Bangla (Bengali) and English. In primary and secondary schools Bangla is the main language of instruction. Most private universities only teach in English. There are also issues with English as the language of instruction in higher education. One survey in the early 2000s found that more than 70 percent of the university students in Bangladesh answer their examination questions in Bangla even the tests were supposed to be in English. Other problems include shortages of resources, a lack of facilities, and not enough instructors. Sometimes protests are over the poor quality of education at the universities. [Source: Ashakant Nimbark, “World Education Encyclopedia”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001; Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
Although universities in Bangladesh are often the focal point of political struggles, they are also centers of cultural activity and intellectual creativity. Students can get relatively good training in fields such law, medicine, art and engineering). Universities can also be refuges from the harsh realities and Islamic restrictions found in Bangladesh as a whole. Rules and social interaction can be more relaxed. Young men and women can interact more freely, without someone watching over what they doing. Dance and theater performances are common. Some students engage in academic and political debates. [Source: “Countries and Their Cultures”, The Gale Group Inc., 2001]
College life in Bangladesh can be rough, politically-charged and even dangerous. Because universities often close classes and are disrupted by political activity, a four-year degree can take five to eight years to complete. University student groups and departments are often highly politicized. Strike and protests are common. Occasionally, party-based violence occurs. Political student groups compete for new recruits on campuses and sometimes students are bullied into can survive more easily by becoming a member of a political party student body
Politics and Violence at Bangladesh Universities
Bangladesh universities rattle with gun fire from time to time and students sometimes shoot each other during demonstrations. Students wings of rival parties clash over politics and gangs fight turf war over lucrative food stalls. In the early 1990s, 80 people were killed by gun fire and knife wounds. The violence often causes classes and exam cancellation and postponements. Students once clashed with police after authorities expelled 5,000 students for cheating on a university final examination. The students had been caught with answers supplied by friends and relatives.
The universities have been a major proving ground for political parties since the student protests that led to the war of independence. Beginning with major riots in 1983, universities during the Ershad regime were the site of repeated antigovernment demonstrations and government repression. The Central Students Action Committee, a coalition of student political groups, coordinated a number of political actions in support of the opposition's demands, which culminated in a series of general strikes in 1987. [Source: James Heitzman and Robert Worden, Library of Congress, 1989 *]
During the Siege of Dhaka, from November 10 to 12, 1987 the government closed the University of Dhaka, and it shut down all education institutions in the country later in the month during continuing unrest. Because the major parties — including the Jatiyo Party and its Jatiyo Chhatro Samaj — had student wings, there were often violent confrontations on college and university campuses between rival party members. Gun battles broke out in June 1987 between the supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's Chhatro Dal (Students Party) and the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (Inu)'s Students League over control of dormitories. Periodic closings of universities after demonstrations or political riots often kept institutions shut down for a good part of the year during the late 1980s.
Dhaka University
Emily Wax wrote in the Washington Post: “Nearly every political milestone in Bangladesh has its roots in the stately, tree-lined campus of the University of Dhaka, where student-led protests have repeatedly given rise to sweeping changes in government. So it came as little surprise to many students when the anti-government rallies they started mushroomed into violent street demonstrations in other cities. According to the common axiom here: So goes the campus, so goes the nation. “The DU campus is a barometer for the country's political mood. Because of our long history of poverty and bad government, it's been in the students' interest to be politically active," said Aninda Rahman, a 24-year-old English student at the university. "It's the students' duty within the framework of Bangladesh to give a voice to the people." [Source: Emily Wax, Washington Post, September 23, 2007]
“Some of the country's most famous sons graduated from this school, including dozens of elected officials and internationally recognized leaders, such as Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Fazlur Rahman Khan, considered the greatest architectural engineer of the second half of the 20th century for his design of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago.
“Today, most students at the University of Dhaka are from working-class and middle-class backgrounds. They see themselves as the voice of a largely poor and illiterate nation. Their position as protectors is perhaps best illustrated by a photo that surfaced here recently. The image, which has been widely circulated on the Internet, shows an unarmed student kicking an army soldier. It has become such a stirring emblem of the students' power that the photojournalist who took the picture has gone into hiding, fearing for his life. “That photograph said it all," said Shahidul Alam, a renowned photo gallery director in Dhaka. "That image is such a powerful symbol of our times. It shows the power of unarmed students against the ego of the military."
Dhaka University: Bangladesh’s Protest Central
On the protests in 2007, Wax wrote: “Some students and teachers thought to be behind the protests have been jailed. The government has shut down the campus, putting padlocks on the lecture halls and emptying out the dorms. Officials said the campus may open after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ends in mid-October. Some students say it takes up to six years to complete a degree because the university is often shut down during political tumult. “Sometimes the students think, there just has to be a better way," said Mahinur Rahamar, 23, a business student. "It's frustrating when school keeps getting shut down. Our families are working class, and they suffer when we can't finish our degrees. But that has always been our tradition. I'm not sure it can change."
“The current political controversy centers on opposition to an interim government that came to power in January, 2007. Bangladesh's interim government insists that much of the recent student activism stems less from political conviction than from aggressive recruiting tactics by political parties. The parties have agents as old as 40 living on campus as "student leaders," working to influence student votes, critics and diplomats say. “Our Socratic tradition has always been one of our greatest strengths," said Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a government adviser and a former ambassador to the United Nations. "But now, I think the students and even some of the professors are taken over by professional politicians."
“According to local reports, the August protests began innocently enough. In what has become known as the "Umbrella Incident," a university student haplessly opened his wet umbrella, splashing a soldier. That set off a tiny scuffle. But the scuffle was enough to provoke students to vent outrage over the presence of troops on their campus. The day after the Umbrella Incident, M. Anwar Hossain, a respected biochemistry professor, helped organize a demonstration to address a growing list of grievances with the government, not the least of which was the banning of protests — part of a martial law imposed seven months ago to squelch public outcry against the military-backed interim government's delay in holding elections. Soon after, Hossain was arrested at his home for inciting an uprising. He is still in jail, awaiting trial.
“Amnesty International, along with foreign diplomats, has asked for Hossain's release. Hossain's son, Sanjeeb, a 22-year-old law student, has said his father is not politically involved with the jailed protest leaders and was only trying be a guardian for the students, helping them demonstrate against a repressive regime. “It's scary when professors and students are in jail, since it's like the soul of the country is behind bars," Sanjeeb Hossain said in an interview. "This is terrible for our family and terrible for Bangladesh. It's not as simple as just to blame all of this on politics. He was trying to protect student rights, that was it."
English Professor Hacked to Death at Bangladesh University
In April 2016, English professor Rezaul Karim Siddique of Rajshahi University was hacked to death by attackers with machetes in northwestern Bangladesh. Shafiqul Alam of AFP wrote: The assailants almost beheaded professor Siddique, 58, when they attacked him from behind as he walked to the bus station from his home in the city of Rajshahi, police said.. Islamic State (IS) took credit for the the murder, the fourth professor from Rajshahi University killed by Islamists. “Islamic State fighters assassinate(d) a university teacher for calling to atheism in the city of Rajshahi in Bangladesh," IS's Amaq news agency said. [Source: Shafiqul Alam, AFP, April 24, 2016]
Metropolitan Police commissioner Mohammad Shamsuddin said police had not yet named any suspects, but the pattern of the attack fitted with previous killings by Islamist militants. People close to Siddique said he had never spoken out against religion, but he may have been targeted for his role in leading music and literature groups. “As far as I know, my husband didn't have any personal enmity with anyone," his wife, Hosne Ara, told the BBC. Sakhawat Hossain, a friend and colleague of Siddique at the university, said he used to play the tanpura, a musical instrument popular in South Asia, and wrote poems and short stories. “He used to lead a cultural group called Komol Gandhar and edit a bi-annual literary magazine with the same name. But he never wrote or spoke against religion in public," Hossain told AFP.
“Hundreds of university students held protests after news of the murder, marching on the campus and shouting slogans demanding the arrest of the attackers, said local police chief Humayun Kabir. “The students were shocked at the latest brutal killing of their teachers," Mostafiz Mishu, a student who witnessed the protests, told AFP. “Some 500 of them shouted slogans and joined the marches calling for protection of all teachers and exemplary punishment for the killers."
“Nahidul Islam, a deputy commissioner of police, said Siddique was involved in several cultural programmes and had set up a music school at Bagmara, a former bastion of an outlawed Islamist group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh. “The attack is similar to the ones carried out on (atheist) bloggers in the recent past," Islam said, adding nobody had been arrested yet. Champa Patel, Amnesty International's South Asia director, condemned the latest killing as "inexcusable", saying it was part of a "gruesome pattern". “The authorities must do more to put an end to these killings. Not a single person has been brought to justice for the attacks over the past year," Patel said.
Fear and Anger After the Hacking Death of the Bangladeshi Professor
About a month after Professor Siddique’s murder, AFP reported: “After his colleague was butchered by Islamist extremists, Mahbub Alam, a professor of public administration at Rajshahi University, answered a call from a mystery number that made his blood run cold. “The person on the other side of the line said to me: 'Your life has come to an end. You've gone too far. Wait and see what happens to you.'," said Alam,.“I've never been connected to any type of activity except teaching. I've no idea what I've done to receive such a threat. “It's OK when someone confronts you face-to-face. But if someone attacks you from behind, what can you do except live in fear?" [Source: AFP, May 18, 2016]
“Normally a hive of activity, the university campus has been largely deserted since Siddique was hacked to death. But professors teaching at Rajshahi in northwestern Bangladesh, which has a reputation as one of the country's most liberal universities, have been a target of extremists for more than a decade. Four have been killed since 2004 while more than 50 teachers say they have received threats from Islamist extremists.
“After Siddique's murder, teachers went on an unofficial strike which prompted most of the university's 33,000 students to head home and begin their summer holidays early. When an AFP correspondent visited the 752-acre (300-hectare) campus last week, the lecture halls were empty and the only significant gathering was at a rally attended by teachers and students to protest Siddique's slaughter. Much of the anger was directed at the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which has been accused of showing little sympathy towards the victims and doing little to improve security.
“Nearly all recent attacks have been claimed by Al-Qaeda's local branch or the Islamic State organization but the government insists neither group has got a foothold in Bangladesh, blaming its domestic opponents instead. “We are feeling very isolated and are all in a bit of a panic," sociology professor Nilufar Sultana told AFP. “The authorities are not assuring any security. They aren't even saying that they're looking for the killers. It's deeply frustrating."
“Mamunul Habib, who was taught by Siddique, said that no one could concentrate on their studies for the moment. “We can't pick up weapons to protect ourselves and of course it's not for us to do that anyway," said Habib. “It's impossible mentally to study and work in such a climate, especially as you can't help feeling that you could be the next target."
“After Siddique's killing, it emerged that a hit-list with the names of 10 people — including the university's vice-chancellor — had been distributed on a leaflet in the nearby town of Natore. The leaflet bore the name of an obscure group called the Islami Liberation Front which said its objective was to establish an Islamic caliphate by toppling what it called the "repressive" government.
“No one has so far been charged with Siddique's murder although police have made four arrests and say one of those has confessed to taking part in the killing. However the murder on May 6 of a local leader of the Sufi Muslim minority around 40 kilometers (25 miles) away has heightened fears that the killers may still be at large, with the victim also hacked to death. “We now feel very helpless," said Professor Moloy Voumik, another of Siddique's former colleagues who admits he is living in fear. “I know if these targeted killings continue, then my name will definitely find a place on their hit-list."
Bangladeshi Students Studying Abroad
Many college graduates in Bangladesh find that there are few jobs waiting for them when they graduate. Many go abroad, including the United States, to study and don’t return. The number of students studying outside of Bangladesh has soared in recent years. The number of Bangladeshi nationals enrolled in degree programs abroad almost quadrupled in 12 years, from 15,000 in 2005 to 56,000 in 2017, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). [Source: Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
According to the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”: “Many well-educated Bangladeshis have been educated overseas, and many of them have been supported by the state or international organizations. There is a brain drain situation as many such students chose not to return home after graduating from overseas universities. This has contributed to a shortage of doctors, information technology experts, qualified teachers and professionals in various fields in Bangladesh. [Source: “Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies”, The Gale Group Inc., 2002]
The number of Bangladeshi students enrolled abroad increased by about a third over 2015 and 2016. The growth is being driven by Bangladesh’s large college-aged population, limited domestic tertiary education opportunities and a growing middle class. ICEF Monitor reported: As domestic capacity continues to lag behind demand, growing numbers of Bangladeshi students are pursuing post-secondary education abroad. The latest data from UNESCO indicates that nearly 31,000 Bangladeshis were enrolled abroad in 2015, a 33 percent increase over the two years from 2013. [Source: ICEF Monitor, February 27, 2017]
“Among the factors driving this swelling outflow are the expansion of Bangladesh’s college-age population, capacity shortages in higher education, and the emergence of a growing middle class able to afford an overseas education, notably in major urban centers like Dhaka and Chittagong. The Boston Consulting Group has predicted that the number of middle income and affluent Bangladeshis will grow at a rate of more than 10 percent annually and increase from 12 million in 2015 to 34 million by 2025.
“The low quality of life and poor education in Bangladesh, as well as the lack of employment opportunities, cause growing numbers of youngsters from these newly prosperous households to go overseas, thereby exacerbating the country’s brain drain. Most international students come from wealthier households and were educated at English-medium schools. Many do not return after completing their studies. As one Bangladeshi professor told the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, “jobs and investments are not generating nearly the amount of money needed … for a standard of living, the young do not see a future for themselves in Bangladesh. Many are frustrated over the hostage situation created by poverty along with political unrest and no industrial and agricultural development, which has worsened their perception of the country.”
Destinations of Bangladeshi Students Studying Abroad
The leading destinations of Bangladeshi students are Malaysia, the United States, the U.K., Australia, and Germany. Stefan Trines wrote in World Education News and Review: “Malaysia has emerged as the most popular study destination by far in recent years. It presently accounts for about 50 percent of all Bangladeshi enrollments in degree programs abroad after the number of such students spiked by 1,500 percent, going from 1,722 students in 2010 to 28,456 in 2017 (per UNESCO data). [Source: Stefan Trines, World Education News and Review, August 1, 2019]
Malaysia is attractive to Bangladeshi students because it’s a multicultural, Muslim-majority country that is nearby. It’s also a comparatively low-cost study destination, and international students in Malaysia are permitted to work part time. Programs are usually taught in English, and Western education is also easily accessible via branch campuses of U.S., British, and Australian universities. There’s also a sizable Bangladeshi community in the country, a result of the inflow of migrant workers. Unfortunately, there are reports of Bangladeshi students being scammed and trafficked by criminals and unscrupulous recruitment agents. In 2017, Singaporean media reported that thousands of Bangladeshis had been lured into Malaysia to study at fake universities only to be exploited as undocumented workers.
In the U.S., Bangladesh is among the top 25 sending countries of international students, primarily because of Bangladeshi enrollments in graduate programs. There were 6,492 Bangladeshi degree-seeking students in the country in 2017, according to UNESCO, making the U.S. the second most popular destination and putting it ahead of Australia (4,986 students), the U.K. (3,116 students), and Canada (2,028 students).
Per Open Doors data of the Institute of International Education, which also include non-degree students, there were 7,496 Bangladeshi students in the U.S. in the 2017/18 academic year—an increase of 4.9 percent over 2016/17, and nearly twice as many students as in 2012/13. Fully 62 percent of them studied at the graduate level, while 24 percent were enrolled in undergraduate programs, less than 1 percent in non-degree programs, and 14 percent pursued Optional Practical Training. The most common majors among Bangladeshi students are engineering, math/computer science, and physical/life sciences.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Bangladesh Tourism Board, Bangladesh National Portal (www.bangladesh.gov.bd), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022