Matching university education with contemporary needs
Tertiary education and the outcome provided by it are factors that are constantly in need of revision. In today's world where new in-demand jobs and special fields of expertise explode into popularity at unprecedented rates, universities have a responsibility to respond by adapting quickly and efficiently. The curriculum taught ten years ago may no longer be viable as technology keeps progressing and Artificial Intelligence looms on the horizon. Reforming education for it to be viable and helpful in preparing students for today's fast-moving world is of utmost importance, and while the approaches taken to make this possible are multifaceted, the necessity for constant reevaluation of the education provided cannot be understated.
Reforming education, however, comes with a series of questions and hurdles, and managing to bring change from the ground up is a task that will no doubt require years of concentrated effort from universities. For this, several factors need assessment. Updating a curriculum to fit modern demands is, of course, important but on top of that there is the growing need to integrate knowledge spanning different majors to provide a more holistic understanding of the field of study.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Dr. Asrar Chowdhury, Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University, spoke at length about the issues surrounding the segregation of skills and knowledge. "Take for instance basic business communication, which in today's world is a skill that everyone regardless of background should be fluent in, and yet so many graduates don't seem to have that figured out," he said.
"When universities don't help students learn specific skills to complement their fields of choice, there is a problem that needs to change. Institutionalising this change is something that can take up to a decade, and yet it has to come from the universities themselves because you cannot expect a teacher in one field to handle learning of another field," he added.
On this note, Dr. Chowdhury went on to address the need for intermediary solutions. University clubs may, according to him, be an excellent alternative method of learning, provided the training carried out is guided by the university. It is often not a feasible idea to incorporate the learning of skills within the limits of a semester's duration. Hence, clubs and university-run organisations may have a pivotal role to play by hosting training programs for necessary skills that the coursework is failing to provide. This has plenty of potential though it may come with its own series of hurdles to overcome as not all majors may have available resources to be used by clubs.
Similar to the discussion around clubs, there is a newly growing world of online education that provides flexibility in methods of learning. According to Md. Kabir Uddin, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology at North South University, this has been crucial for training his students in research methodology.
"All the simulation work we run requires very sophisticated software. For this, I hold training sessions and provide learning materials online to make the entire process easier for my students diving into research because otherwise, it's nearly impossible to find the time within our already packed course load," he added.
Another important point of discussion in the reformation of education is the incorporation of industry with academia. With increasing industry demands for hands-on knowledge, it is becoming more and more redundant to arm students with purely theoretical knowledge.
While, admittedly, resources can be scarce, there is a need for a slow yet steady paradigm shift to incorporate industry exposure into the learning process.
Abdul Wohab, Professor in Sociology at North South University, shared his thoughts. "In Bangladesh particularly, there is a lack of synchronisation between industry and university— regardless of it being public or private. Hands-on experience, partnerships, and other forms of collaboration between universities and relevant companies are becoming more and more important as our society moves to a new generation. On top of this, the education provided has to be holistic and modern in terms of content," says Abdul Wohab.
Moving further, Dr. Wohab highlighted newly emerging majors as prime examples where the courses are designed to incorporate industry exposure along with applications of the theory being taught. According to Dr. Wohab, North South University with its most recently introduced major in Media and Journalism attempts to do just that. However, even aside from North South University, Media and Journalism bachelor's degrees offered by other universities such as University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh offer similarly holistic approaches in their programs. Part of the reason here is the fresh approach the authority has in regards to these majors. However, such an outlook must be shared amongst other departments as well.
But of course, the topic of newly emerging majors in Bangladesh brings up a world of new issues to cover. Starting from accreditation to ensuring course content is relevant and includes industrial exposure as part of the learning outcome, everything must be maintained. A major with outdated course offerings will be of help to nobody. As such, United International University's offering of a Bachelor's degree in Data Science is another example of a newly introduced major that holds tremendous potential. As the field of Data Science is booming at unprecedented rates globally, the need arises for graduates from Bangladesh to develop the field of Data Science locally in a way where it may be comparable to the rest of the world.
Dr. Swakkhar Shatabda, Professor and Director of the Data Science program in UIU, added his voice. "Across Bangladesh, there are over 100 universities currently offering degrees in Computer Science. This came from a need for digitisation. Today, however, we are moving further beyond that. We need machine learning and artificial intelligence in a lot of the work being done, be it in government sectors or corporations," he says.
"Hence, the need for data analytics. But one thing you'll see is that UIU is not alone in making changes. New courses are being added to several universities diving into data and machine learning, and this is a trend that will continue as we move forward," adds Dr. Swakkhar.
Another point that is often raised when the discussion of reforming education comes around is the need for universities to invest more in research. With BRAC University currently in the lead in this particular race, the time has come for other universities— public, private, or otherwise— to reassess the importance research plays in today's society. As it stands today, no university in Bangladesh may be considered a 'Research University', and this gap can lead to a halt in overall progress, as research-based work is often directly linked to development in industry. However, even if a full-fledged 'Research University' does not occur in the next decade, there is no doubt about the need for greater focus on research from universities of all nature.
To this, Dr. Kabir added, "For Bangladesh to grow in different sectors, it needs to involve its students more prominently in research. The facilities in Life Sciences labs can be extremely limiting at times, and if universities aren't paying attention our healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors may start falling behind."
There is, however, a significant distinction to be made here. Since Bangladesh is home to five different kinds of universities, not just private and public, the internal framework of how they operate will also vary drastically across different categories. Hence, significant changes may look different for each university. The need for the change, however, is paramount.
Raian Abedin is a poet, a student of Biochemistry, and a contributor at The Daily Star.
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