"Government's role in ensuring quality education at private universities cannot be held hostage to a argument that these universities are initiated with private entrepreneurs' money," said Dr. Farruk at the event organised by University Grants Commission, Bangladesh (UGC).

The minister condemned the trend of public university teachers that they quite often take jobs at private universities being allured by higher monetary benefits even without prior permission from their own institutions.

Focusing on the government's priority to promote higher education, he said that of the total 29 public universities in the country, only 12 were founded during the present BNP government.

"The academic situation of private universities, except five to seven, is really deplorable as far as quality is concerned," said the UGC chairman Prof. M Asaduzzaman.

"Private sector is inseparable from the development process in today's age of globalisation," he said. "But it does not mean that private entrepreneurs are licensed to do anything they wish with education in particular," he added.

"Higher education in the private sector will hardly move forward unless and until the entrepreneurs permit the government to take action to streamline private university education," Prof. Asaduzzaman further said.

Regarding the public universities, he said that the authorities should not take autonomy as a license to do anything and run the institutions at will, he added.

An enormous amount of public money is spent on education at public universities of which 80 percent makes up teacher-remuneration with almost no allocation for research.

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, present at the function as the chief guest, said that she was not happy seeing unfortunate news related to various universities.

"Certificate-only education comes to no use in reality," she said, "Education must be up to the mark," she added.

University teachers have to impart education of global standard within the country if they can do so abroad, she said.

Accountability has to be ensured in financial matters at the public universities, she added.

The PM called upon the award wining students to dedicate themselves for the welfare of the country's common people, as most of their educational expenses are met with taxpayers' money.

A total of 57 outstanding students, who obtained first class firsts and secured highest marks at graduate level in each faculty, of the 16 public universities were awarded with the Prime Minister's Gold Medal, this year.

The UGC that instituted the medal in 2005 awarded meritorious students for the second time.

State Minister for Education ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan and Education Secretary Momtajul Islam also spoke.